Lavar F Johnson was born on June 11,1977 and is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former Heavyweight mixed martial artist.
46 Facts About Lavar Johnson
1.
2.
Lavar Johnson competed in Toughman Contests and dominated, leading him to transition into professional mixed martial arts.
3.
Lavar Johnson made his professional mixed martial arts debut in the WEC on January 16,2004, losing to future WEC Light Heavyweight Champion Doug Marshall via TKO.
4.
The bout was somewhat marred by controversy as Lavar 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.
5.
Lavar Johnson had entered the bout without any training or preparation beyond hitting a heavy bag.
6.
Lavar Johnson knocked out Fred Diaz with punches at WEC 11: Evolution.
7.
Lavar Johnson then fought twice outside of WEC, winning both bouts via first round stoppage.
8.
Lavar Johnson returned to face Corey Salter at WEC 17: Halloween Fury 4, making him submit to strikes in the first round.
9.
Lavar 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.
10.
Lavar Johnson returned to fighting after a two-and a-half year layoff, with a submission loss to Alijah Reni.
11.
Lavar Johnson went on to defeat his next four opponents via first round stoppage, before being signed by Strikeforce.
12.
Lavar 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.
13.
Lavar Johnson knocked out Seumanutafa with an uppercut while Seumanutafa was going for a takedown.
14.
Lavar Johnson was shot on July 4,2009, while at a family reunion.
15.
Lavar Johnson was rumored to return to action at Strikeforce Challengers: Kaufman vs Hashi, facing Lolohea Mahe.
16.
Lavar Johnson won by TKO due to punches in the second round.
17.
Lavar Johnson next faced current Bellator fighter Virgil Zwicker at Strikeforce Challengers: Bowling vs Voelker, knocking him out with punches in the first round.
18.
Lavar Johnson fought in a Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Tournament alternate match, submitting to Shane Del Rosario's armbar in the first round.
19.
Lavar Johnson's next fight came against former Louisiana State University football player, Shawn Jordan at Strikeforce Challengers: Larkin vs Rossborough.
20.
Lavar Johnson lost via submission to an Americana in the second round.
21.
Lavar Johnson made his UFC debut on January 28,2012, defeating Joey Beltran via first-round KO at UFC on Fox: Evans vs Davis.
22.
Lavar 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.
23.
Lavar Johnson replaced an injured Mark Hunt on ten days' notice and was defeated by Stefan Struve on the main card of UFC 146 via submission due to an armbar in the first round.
24.
Lavar Johnson was expected to face Brendan Schaub on December 8,2012, at UFC on Fox 5.
25.
However, Lavar Johnson was forced out of the bout with a groin injury and Schaub was pulled from the card altogether.
26.
Lavar Johnson was released from the organization after a post fight drug screening revealed elevated levels of testosterone.
27.
Lavar Johnson's fighting license was suspended by the California State Athletic Commission till November 23,2013.
28.
Lavar Johnson admitted he was undergoing testosterone replacement therapy and had not disclosed this on his pre-fight medical questionnaire.
29.
Lavar Johnson debuted on October 4,2013, in the heavyweight tournament against Vinicius Queiroz at Bellator 102.
30.
Lavar Johnson returned to the Bellator cage in March 2014 as a participant in the Bellator Season Ten Heavyweight Tournament.
31.
Lavar Johnson faced Ryan Martinez in the opening round at Bellator 111 on March 7,2014.
32.
Lavar Johnson won the fight via knockout in the first round.
33.
Lavar Johnson faced Blagoy Ivanov in the semifinals at Bellator 116 on April 11,2014.
34.
Lavar Johnson lost the back-and-forth bout via submission in the first round.
35.
Lavar Johnson faced Cheick Kongo on September 5,2014, at Bellator 123.
36.
Lavar Johnson lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the first round.
37.
On September 21,2019, Lavar Johnson returned to professional fighting via bare-knuckle boxing, defeating former UFC and Ultimate Fighter veteran James McSweeney via first-round TKO at Valor Bare Knuckle 1.
38.
Lavar Johnson was scheduled to face Rashad Coulter followed by Bobby Brents on November 23,2024 at BKFC Fight Night: Los Angeles.
39.
Lavar Johnson lost by knockout 12 seconds into the first round.
40.
Lavar Johnson was then jailed for 30 days for criminal threats and disobeying a domestic relations court order.
41.
On July 5,2008, at approximately midnight, Lavar Johnson was shot at a family reunion in Bakersfield, California.
42.
Lavar Johnson was shot in the hip, the forearm, and the third bullet fired at him hit his abdomen, which was the most serious injury.
43.
Lavar Johnson's appendix was removed and he could not eat or drink for a month after the surgery which sewed his stomach closed.
44.
Lavar Johnson has a scar up and down his torso as a result of the surgery and his cousin, Anthony, who was from Jacksonville, Texas was the casualty.
45.
Lavar Johnson was in Fresno County Jail with bail set at $175,000.
46.
Lavar Johnson pled not guilty to all charges, which carry a maximum sentence of 10 years and eight months in prison.