Two-time UFC competitor Cody East was
arrested in New Mexico following a domestic violence incident over
the weekend.
Albuquerque, N.M.-based station
KRQE was first to report the news. East is charged with child
abuse, false imprisonment and battery.
According to a criminal complaint, East got into a fight with his
wife and then allegedly refused to allow her or their kids to get
out of their car. The woman told police that East pushed her and
made threatening comments when she tried to stop him.
East was released on Tuesday from the Bernalillo County
Metropolitan Detention Center due to “Release on Recognizance.” He
is due in court for a preliminary hearing on April 26.
It’s not the first time East has run afoul of the law for domestic
violence. In 2016, East was
arrested for aggravated battery against a household member,
false imprisonment and aggravated assault against a household
member.
East has multiple other transgressions on his record. He was
sentenced to three years in prison after pleading no-contest to
child abuse charges in 2008. The former Legacy Fighting
Championship titleholder was also arrested on domestic violence
charges in 2006 and 2010, though prosecutors elected not to pursue
a case in either instance, according to the report. In addition,
East has been arrested twice on sexual assault charges.
East was released from the UFC in 2016 after back-to-back TKO
defeats at the hands of Walt Harris
and Curtis
Blaydes. The 33-year-old competed as recently as June 2021,
when he suffered a first-round KO loss to Michael
Quintero at a regional event.