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Ex-UFC fighter Anthony Johnson arrested on ID theft charges after Friday Bellator debut

Jason Owens
·Staff writer
·2 min read

Hours after victory in his Bellator debut on Friday, Anthony Johnson was arrested on outstanding identity theft charges.

The longtime UFC fighter who came out of retirement to join Bellator in 2020 made the most of his debut with a second-round knockout of Jose Augusto at Bellator 258 at the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

Johnson arrested in casino shortly after fight

His victory celebration was short-lived. At 11 p.m. local time, police arrested Johnson at the Mohegan Sun on charges of third-degree identity theft and receipt from illegal use of a credit card.

According to a police report, the alleged victim filed a complaint with police in New Canaan, Connecticut, in 2019 that his credit card had been used without his permission to purchase a plane ticket.

From the police report:

“The illegal use of the credit card was used to purchase a round-trip airline ticket from Ft. Lauderdale, FL (FLL) to Newark, NJ (EWR). The name of the passenger was Anthony Johnson. A subsequent Investigation determined Johnson used the illegally obtained credit card to purchase the airline ticket. An arrest warrant was obtained for Johnson for the above charges."

Anthony Johnson celebrates after defeating Glover Teixeira of Brazil in their light heavyweight bout during the UFC 202 event at T-Mobile Arena on August 20, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
A trip to Connecticut for his Bellator debut led to Johnson being arrested on outstanding local charges. (Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images/file)

Charge carries max penalty of 5 years in jail

The Daily Voice reports that police identified Johnson at the casino, placed him under arrest and transported him back to New Canaan about 90 miles away. He was released on a $500 bond. MMA Fighting reports that the identity theft charge is a Class D Felony that carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail and a $5,000 fine. Johnson is scheduled for a June 8 court date.

Johnson has not publicly responded to his arrest. He posted a video on his Instagram page on Sunday wishing his grandmother a happy Mother's Day.

Johnson was one of UFC's most feared knockout artists during a 10-year run from 2007 to 2017. He compiled a 22-6 UFC record and twice fought for the light heavyweight title, losing both times to champion Daniel Cormier.

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