UFC lightweight fighter Luis Pena was arrested on Friday and charged with battery, robbery by sudden snatching, and criminal mischief after a reported fight with his girlfriend.
ESPN reports that an affidavit obtained from the Boca Raton Police Department states that on June 14, Pena snatched his girlfriend’s phone after accusing her of “looking at other men on Instagram.” The report says that Pena then threw the phone to the ground, breaking it. Pena and his girlfriend then got into a physical fight, according to the affidavit, leading to a small laceration on the woman’s lip, plus scratches and redness on her knuckles.
The affidavit says that the Boca Raton police received an anonymous tip later that night saying that Pena was going to return to his partner’s house to kill her, and that he was in possession of both a gun and a knife. The caller also reportedly said that Pena was suicidal. When contacted by police, Pena declined to provide a statement and expressed plans to get a lawyer, according to the report.
The day after the alleged incident, police did a follow-up interview with Pena’s girlfriend (whose name is redacted in the affidavit) in her home, during which she reportedly told them that Pena had punched her on the top of the head and left a lump. She declined to show the officers the reported injury. The affidavit says that, when asked if Pena had access to guns, the woman recalled that several weeks beforehand, she and Pena had been on a Facetime call when he threatened to kill himself and brandished a handgun. She then reportedly ended the interview abruptly, expressing frustration that Pena had not yet been arrested, and slammed the door.
Pena was arrested that day and taken to the Broward County jail. He is currently awaiting transport to Palm Beach County, where the arrest warrant was issued.
UFC executive vice president and CBO Hunter Campbell told ESPN that the promotion will not book another fight for Pena until more information is revealed about the situation, adding that the promotion is aware of the “mental health and substance issues” that Pena has been dealing with.
Pena most recently won a split decision over Alex Munoz in April, following up on a third-round submission loss to Khama Worthy last year.
