UFC fighter pulled from card over misdemeanor battery arrest

Welterweight Michael Graves went 4-0 in the thriving Florida MMA scene, and became a cast member on The Ultimate Fighter 21: American Top Team vs. Blackzilians. He went 1-1 on TUF, and got a UFC contract. After winning his first two fights, he most recently received a majority draw vs Bojan Velickovic at UFC 201 on July 30, 2016.

Graves was scheduled to face Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night 100: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 on November 19, 2016 at Ginásio do Ibirapuera in São Paulo, Brazil. The 25-year-old appeared to have a promising career in mixed martial arts ahead of him.

Unfortunately, Graves has been removed from the card over what is believed to be a domestic violence incident.

“The UFC organization is aware that Michael Graves was arrested over the weekend on a misdemeanor battery charge,” read a UFC statement read. “The organization takes this situation seriously and is in the process of gathering more information.

“Graves has been removed from his scheduled bout on Nov. 19 as a result of the pending legal matter.”

Fulton County jail records indicate that bail was set at $5,000 and that as of the date of this writing, he had not been released. The offense was listed as Battery – Family Violence (1St Offense) Misd. Date of the offense is reported to be 10/01/2016, which was Saturday night.