Former Ultimate Fighting Championship competitor Abel Trujillo has accepted a plea agreement in a child sexual exploitation case in Castle Rock, Colo.
The update in the case was first reported by 9News. As a result of the plea deal, Trujillo will avoid felony charges. He was initially arrested last July and charged with attempted sexual exploitation of a child, promotion of obscenity to a minor and sexual exploitation of a child – self/publish – all of which are felonies.
On Friday, Trujillo pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of promoting obscenity. His sentencing is scheduled for April 6.
Castle Rock police were initially notified in October 2018 that the victim received inappropriate messages via social media from Trujillo. The girl first made contact with Trujillo in March 2018 and received a follow request from him on Instagram. According to an affidavit, she accepted the request “because Abel is a celebrity.”
Shortly thereafter, the girl began receiving direct messages from Trujillo that included nude pictures and conversations that were sexual in nature. The victim eventually blocked Trujillo on all social media accounts and deleted the photos and messages.
When contacted by police, Trujillo admitted “he has had multiple conversations with females under the age of 18” and to sending nude photos of himself, per the affidavit.
Currently 36 years old, Trujillo hasn’t competed in mixed martial arts since a decision loss to John Makdessi at UFC on Fox 26 on Dec. 16, 2017. He was scheduled to face former Bellator champ Will Brooks at a Battlefield FC event last July but was replaced in the bout shortly after news of his arrest. Trujillo went 6-4 during a UFC stint that began in 2012.