PFL suspends Josh Copeland after arrest, issues statement

The Professional Fighters League (PFL) has indefinitely suspended heavyweight fighter Josh Copeland following his recent arrest, which stemmed from a domestic violence incident in early February.

The PFL issued a statement on the Josh Copeland situation on Monday evening (via MMA Fighting).

“The PFL has zero tolerance for matters involving domestic violence. Per our company policy, following his arrest, Josh Copeland has been suspended indefinitely.”

According to a report from TMZ, Copeland was arrested for allegedly assaulting his wife. The incident is alleged to have occurred in front of their child.

Per a police report obtained by TMZ, law enforcement in Adams County, Colorado received a call about an attack and rushed to the couple’s home on Feb. 2. When officers arrived at the scene, Copeland’s wife had “an obvious bruise on her left eye, a cut and was bleeding. There was blood down the front of her face and neck.”

Copeland’s wife claims the trouble began with an argument, and that Copeland allegedly pushed her, which prompted her to push him back. Copeland’s wife admits she slapped him multiple times in the ensuing violence.

According to the police report, Copeland eventually “punched her in the face” and threw her onto the bed. Copeland allegedly also took her phone away from her so she couldn’t call for help. The phone was later found in Copeland’s pocket by police.

This incident allegedly left Copeland’s wife in hospital, while the fighter himself was arrested for second-degree assault, obstruction and child abuse. The child abuse charge is the result of this incident occurring in front of their child.

Josh Copeland last competed on New Years Eve, when he came up short in the finals of the 2018 PFL season, losing to Philipe Lins by TKO, and failing to earn the $1M prize for the heavyweight division.

Copeland previously fought for the defunct World Series of Fighting organization, and in the UFC, where he was defeated by Ruslan Magomedov and Jared Rosholt in 2014 and 2015 respectively. He is 18-6-1 overall.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 2/12/2019.