Anthony Johnson Ready To Return To UFC After Suspension
Anthony Johnson has been cleared to return to UFC after the dismissal of his lawsuit in a domestic violence case. Johnson will be returning to the UFC after his indefinite suspension since September.
"Civil case against Anthony Johnson is dismissed," UFC President Dana White announced on Instagram last Thursday. "Cleared to resume competition."
In September, the mother of two of Johnson's children filed a report alleging that friends of the UFC contender are threatening her with violence, detailing an incident in 2012 where she was hit by Johnson and lost two teeth. After the recent allegations of domestic violence, Johnson was in limbo. He was under an indefinite suspension, and UFC hired a third-party law firm to conduct a formal investigation.
The allegations were not the first time the UFC fighter got involved in an issue of violence. In 2009, he was arrested and freed on bail for allegedly attacking his girlfriend at that time, according to a report from San Jose Mercury News.
According to the official statement released by UFC following White's initial announcement, the complaint has been voluntarily dismissed last week in the Florida Circuit Court after the presiding judge questioned the alleging party about the voluntary intentions.
Johnson has been cleared and already allowed to return to competition after the dismissal of the case along with an independent investigation that was initiated by the UFC organisation. Thus far, UFC is now exploring possible options for Johnson's fight next year, and various sources see there is a great chance he will be matched again with Alexander Gustafsson.
Johnson and Gustafsson were previously scheduled to headline the UFC Fight Night on Fox on Dec. 13 before the suspension, but Gustafsson was matched with the former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans in January instead. But then again, now that Evan's will not be ready in time for the fight and Johnson is already free from suspension and legal obligations, pundits point out a Johnson vs. Gustafsson seems possible again. However, UFC has yet to make official announcements regarding the matter.