Lavar F. Johnson (born June 11, 1977) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the W ...

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

. A professional from 2004 until 2014, he competed for the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

, the WEC, Strikeforce and

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Glob ...

Background

Johnson is from

Madera, California Madera (Spanish for "Wood") is a city and county seat of Madera County, California. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 66,224. Located in the San Joaquin Valley, Madera is the principal city of thMadera Metropolitan ...

and was a star football player, attending Madera High School where a coach nicknamed Johnson "Black Superman." Johnson then continued his career excelling as an outside

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

and strong safety at

Merced College Merced College is a public community college in Merced, California. History In 1961, the Merced High and Le Grand High School Districts petitioned the State Board of Education for permission to set an election to approve the establishment of a ...

before playing at the semi-professional level. Johnson competed in

Toughman Contest The Toughman Contest, founded in 1979 in Bay City, Michigan by late boxing promoter Art Dore (1936-2022), is a chance for the novice amateur boxers (those with no more than five sanctioned wins in the past five years) to test themselves in the ...

s and dominated, leading him to transition into professional mixed martial arts.

Mixed martial arts career

World Extreme Cagefighting

Johnson made his professional mixed martial arts debut in the WEC on January 16, 2004, losing to future WEC Light Heavyweight Champion

Doug Marshall Douglas Garrett Marshall (born February 3, 1977) is an American former professional mixed martial artist. A professional competitor from 2003 until 2014, Marshall has fought in Bellator, Tachi Palace Fights, the Super Fight League, and the P ...

via

TKO TKO may refer to: Sports * Technical knockout, a professional fighting term * Total Knock Out, a professional wrestling move Music Artists * TKO (band), a rock band from Seattle, Washington * TKO, a pop group led by Katie White Albums * ''TKO ...

(corner stoppage). The bout was somewhat marred by controversy as Johnson was on the receiving end of four low blows over the course of the bout, which was eventually stopped due to exhaustion on his part. Johnson had entered the bout without any training or preparation beyond hitting a heavy bag. He next defeated Levi Thornbrue via TKO (punches). He knocked out Fred Diaz with punches at WEC 11: Evolution. Johson then fought twice outside of WEC, winning both bouts via first round stoppage. He returned to face Corey Salter at WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4, making him submit to strikes in the first round. In Johnson's final WEC fight, he lost to the final WEC Heavyweight Champion

Brian Olsen Brian Olsen (born 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2008, he was the last WEC Heavyweight Champion before it was abolished when Zuffa purchased the organization. Mixed martial arts career World Extr ...

via submission due to a knee injury. After the loss to Olsen, and because of the knee injury sustained during that loss, Johnson briefly left mixed martial arts to become a delivery driver for

Budweiser Budweiser () is an American-style pale lager, part of AB InBev. Introduced in 1876 by Carl Conrad & Co. of St. Louis, Missouri, Budweiser has become a large selling beer company in the United States. ''Budweiser'' may also refer to an unre ...

. Johnson claimed that the cost of his medical expenses, coupled with his inability to train and fight, because of his injury, necessitated that he go get a "real" job. He returned to fighting after a two-and a-half year layoff, with a submission loss to Alijah Reni. He went on to defeat his next four opponents via first round stoppage, before being signed by Strikeforce.

Strikeforce

Johnson made his Strikeforce debut against Carl Seumanutafa at Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Aina, knocking him out with a punch 18 seconds into the first round. Johnson knocked out Seumanutafa with an

uppercut The uppercut (formerly known as the undercut; sometimes also referred to as the ''upper'') is a punch used in boxing that travels along a vertical line at the opponent's chin or solar plexus. It is, along with the cross, one of the two main pun ...

while Seumanutafa was going for a takedown. Johnson was shot on July 4, 2009, while at a family reunion. Johnson was rumored to return to action at Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs. Hashi, facing Lolohea Mahe. The match was instead moved to Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe, as the main event. Johnson won by TKO due to punches in the second round. He next faced current Bellator fighter Virgil Zwicker at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker, knocking him out with punches in the first round. Johnson fought in a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament alternate match, submitting to Shane Del Rosario's

armbar An armlock in grappling is a single or double joint lock that hyperextends, hyperflexes or hyperrotates the elbow joint or shoulder joint. An armlock that hyper-extends the arm is known as an armbar, and it includes the traditional armbar, p ...

in the first round. Johnson's next fight came against former

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

football player, Shawn Jordan at Strikeforce Challengers: Larkin vs. Rossborough. Johnson lost via submission to an americana in the second round. Afterwards, he took time off to heal injuries to his right elbow and left knee.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Johnson made his UFC debut on January 28, 2012, defeating

Joey Beltran José Felipe Beltran (born December 9, 1981) is an American bare-knuckle fighter and mixed martial artist. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, he has competed for the UFC, Bellator, Strikeforce, and King of the Cage. He currently comp ...

via first-round KO at UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis. This earned him the ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus award. Johnson returned just over three months later for his second UFC fight, defeating fan-favorite Pat Barry via first-round TKO at UFC on Fox 3. For this, he was awarded his second consecutive ''Knockout of the Night'' bonus. Johnson replaced an injured

Mark Hunt Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the w ...

on ten days' notice and was defeated by

Stefan Struve Stefan Jaimy Struve (; born February 18, 1988) is a Dutch former mixed martial artist who competed as a heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). At , he is the tallest fighter in the history of the UFC. Background Growing up in t ...

on the main card of UFC 146 via submission due to an

in the first round. Johnson was expected to face Brendan Schaub on December 8, 2012, at UFC on Fox 5. However, Johnson was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and Schaub was pulled from the card altogether. Johnson/Schaub eventually took place on February 23, 2013, at

UFC 157 ''UFC 157: Rousey vs. Carmouche'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 23, 2013, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Background The headline bout between Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche was ...

. Johnson lost the fight via unanimous decision. Johnson was subsequently released from the organization after a post fight drug screening revealed elevated levels of testosterone. His fighting license was suspended by the

California State Athletic Commission The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) regulates amateur and professional boxing, amateur and professional kickboxing and professional mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds ...

till November 23, 2013. Johnson admitted he was undergoing testosterone replacement therapy and had not disclosed this on his pre-fight medical questionnaire.

Bellator MMA

Following his release from the UFC, Johnson signed with Bellator MMA. He debuted on October 4, 2013, in the heavyweight tournament against Vinicius Queiroz at Bellator 102. In a surprising upset, Johnson was stopped by one punch just 23 seconds into the fight, marking the first time he had been knocked out in his career. Johnson returned to the Bellator cage in March 2014 as a participant in the Bellator Season Ten Heavyweight Tournament. He faced Ryan Martinez in the opening round at Bellator 111 on March 7, 2014. He won the fight via knockout in the first round. Johnson faced Blagoy Ivanov in the semifinals at

Bellator 116 2014 in Bellator MMA was the tenth season for Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion. It began on February 28, 2014 and aired on Spike TV. The season included tournaments for the Heavyweight, Welterweight, Featherweight, Light Heavyweight, ...

on April 11, 2014. He lost the back-and-forth bout via submission in the first round. Johnson faced Cheick Kongo on September 5, 2014, at Bellator 123. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.

Bare-knuckle boxing

Valor Bare Knuckle

On September 21, 2019, Johnson returned to professional fighting via bare-knuckle boxing, defeating former

and Ultimate Fighter veteran James McSweeney via first-round TKO at Valor Bare Knuckle 1.

Personal life

Johnson has two sons.

Legal issues

In 2007, Johnson was sentenced to 14 days of jail and three years of probation as well as ordered to undergo alcohol counselling after pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charges of corporal injury on a spouse/co-habitant. He was then jailed for 30 days for criminal threats and disobeying a domestic relations court order. On July 5, 2009, at approximately midnight, Johnson was shot (along with four others, one fatally) at a family reunion in Bakersfield, California. According to reports released by the Bakersfield Police Department, a male in his late teens approached Johnson and the other victims as they were gathering in the front yard during a family reunion/

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

celebration and opened fire on the crowd at random, shooting five people. Johnson was shot in the hip, the forearm, and the third bullet fired at him hit his abdomen, which was the most serious injury. Johnson’s

American Kickboxing Academy The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) is a martial arts gym based in San Jose, California. It is one of the pioneering schools of mixed martial arts (MMA). In 2014, AKA opened the ''AKA Thailand'' gym in Phuket, Thailand. Prominent trainers i ...

trainer, Bob Cook, told Sherdog.com shortly afterwards that Johnson was between serious and critical condition. Cook stated he believed Johnson had been struck twice, once in the abdomen and once in the chest. His appendix was removed and he could not eat or drink for a month after the surgery which sewed his stomach closed. In August 2009, Johnson was released from hospital, and was said to be doing well and hoping to return to training as soon as possible. A fifteen-year-old girl was later arrested in connection to the shooting. Johnson has a scar up and down his torso as a result of the surgery and his cousin, Anthony, who was from

Jacksonville, Texas Jacksonville is a city located in Cherokee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,997 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is the principal city of the Jacksonville micropolitan statistical area, which includes all of Cherokee County, and ...

was the casualty. On August 25, 2015, Johnson was arrested in

Fresno, California Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

and charged with corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant, assault by means likely to produce great bodily injury, dissuading a witness from reporting a crime and dissuading a witness by force. He had allegedly repeatedly punched, kneed and slammed his girlfriend on August 11, before fleeing the scene. He was in Fresno County Jail with bail set at $175,000. He pled not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and eight months in prison. On April 29, 2016, Johnson was sentenced to five years in prison for the August 2015 assault."Madera MMA fighter sentenced in domestic abuse case", by Sontaya Rose, ABC30.com
/ref>

Championships and accomplishments

*War Gods MMA **War Gods Heavyweight Championship (One time) *

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

** Knockout Of The Night (Two times)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 18–10 , Cheick Kongo , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Bellator 123 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:27 ,

Uncasville, Connecticut Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ...

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, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:08 ,

Temecula, California Temecula (; es, Temécula, ; Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 census and was incorporated on December 1, 1989. The city is a ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 18–8 , Ryan Martinez , TKO (punches) , Bellator 111 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:22 ,

Thackerville, Oklahoma Thackerville is a town in Love County, Oklahoma. It is located in South Central Oklahoma. The population was 445 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ardmore, Oklahoma Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Thackerville is located at (3 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–8 , Vinicius Queiroz , KO (punch) , Bellator 102 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:23 ,

Visalia, California Visalia ( ) is a city in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley of California. The population was 141,384 as per the 2020 census. Visalia is the fifth-largest city in the San Joaquin Valley, the 42nd most populous in California, and 192nd in ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–7 , Brendan Schaub , Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–6 ,

, Submission (armbar) , UFC 146 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:05 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Pat Barry , TKO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:38 ,

East Rutherford, New Jersey East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the borough's population was 10,022, reflecting an increase of 1,109 (+12.4%) from the 8,913 counted in the 2010 census.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

, KO (punches) , UFC on Fox: Evans vs. Davis , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:24 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–5 , Shawn Jordan , Submission (americana) , Strikeforce Challengers: Larkin vs. Rossborough , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:08 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 15–4 , Shane del Rosario , Submission (armbar) , Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:31 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 , Virgil Zwicker , KO (punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs. Voelker , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–3 , Lolohea Mahe , TKO (punches) , Strikeforce Challengers: Johnson vs. Mahe , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:29 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–3 , Carl Seumanutafa , KO (punch) , Strikeforce Challengers: Evangelista vs. Aina , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:18 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Dave Huckaba , TKO (corner stoppage) , PFC 12: High Stakes , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Lemoore, California Lemoore (formerly, La Tache and Lee Moore's) is a city in Kings County, California, United States. Lemoore is located west-southwest of Hanford, at an elevation of . It is part of the Hanford-Corcoran Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA Code 25 ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Sean Souza , KO (punch) , War Gods: Do or Die , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:51 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Vince Lucero , KO (punch) , PFC 10: Explosive , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:16 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–3 , Sal Farnetti , TKO (punches) , PFC: Bias vs. Blood , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–3 , Alijah Reni , Submission (rear-naked choke) , War Gods , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–2 ,

, Submission (knee injury) ,

WEC 18 The year 2006 is the 6th year in the history of World Extreme Cagefighting, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States. In 2006 WEC held 7 events beginning with, ''WEC 18: Unfinished Business''. Title fights Event ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 , Corey Salter , TKO (submission to strikes) ,

WEC 17 WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4 was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on October 14, 2005 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. A light heavyweight tournament was held with the winner being crowned th ...

, , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:37 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Todd Gouwenberg , TKO (punches) , Freedom Fight: Canada vs USA , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:53 ,

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of the Cana ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Carlos Garcia , TKO (punches) ,

WEC 15 WEC 15: Judgment Day was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on May 19th 2005 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The card featured the likes of Joe Riggs, Chris Lytle and James Irvin compete. ...

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Lace Pele , TKO (punches) , GC 33: Brutal Force , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:54 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–1 , Terry Pettek , Submission (guillotine choke) , Venom: First Strike , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:21 ,

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, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–1 , Fred Diaz , KO (punches) ,

WEC 11 WEC 11: Evolution was a mixed martial arts event promoted by World Extreme Cagefighting on August 20, 2004 at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino in Lemoore, California. The main event saw Shonie Carter take on Jason Biswell. Results ...

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Bare-knuckle boxing

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New Town, North Dakota New Town is a city in Mountrail County, North Dakota. The population was 2,764 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 18th largest city in North Dakota. New Town was platted in 1950 as a replacement site for the residents of Sanish and ...

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References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Lavar 1977 births Living people African-American mixed martial artists American male mixed martial artists American shooting survivors American sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in mixed martial arts Heavyweight mixed martial artists Merced College alumni Mixed martial artists from California People from Madera, California Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American sportspeople