Anthony Johnson arrested for identity theft in Connecticut following Bellator 258

Bellator light heavyweight star Anthony Johnson was arrested for identity theft in Connecticut following his big win last weekend.

The Daily Voice was the first to report the arrest of Johnson. According to police reports, Johnson illegally used a credit card in November 2019 in order to purchase a round-trip ticket from Newark, New Jersey, to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and Johnson was named as the passenger of the ticket. New Canaan police obtained a warrant for Johnson’s arrest, and “Rumble” was taken into custody following his fight last weekend at Bellator 258 where he knocked out Jose Augusto in one of the most exciting MMA fights of the year.

Johnson was reportedly arrested for and charged with identity theft, and also cited for spending less than $500 on a revoked credit card. According to the report, Johnson has been released on a $500 bond and will make a court appearance later this month.

Johnson (23-6) defeated Augusto in the quarterfinals of the Bellator World Light Heavyweight Grand Prix in order to move to the semifinals, where he will take on Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov. It was Johnson’s first fight since April 2017 when he lost by submission to Daniel Cormier in the final fight of his UFC career. He was originally set to take on Yoel Romero but the fight was canceled when Romero was removed from the tournament due to medical issues. Instead, Augusto took the fight on short notice and nearly won by first-round knockout before Johnson came back in round 2.

It was an incredible win for Anthony Johnson and gave him plenty of momentum as he moves forward in Bellator, but this arrest certainly takes a bit of the wind out of the sails. Bellator has now yet commented on the arrest and it is not yet known if it will impact Johnson’s position in the tournament.