Josh Copeland Pleads Guilty in Domestic Violence Case, Receives 2 Years Probation

Professional Fighters League heavyweight Josh Copeland pleaded guilty to second-degree assault in court on Tuesday, according to TMZ Sports.

The fighter was originally facing four charges – felony assault, domestic violence, obstruction of telephone and child abuse – for allegedy punching his wife in the face during an argument on Feb. 2. Copeland reportedly reached a deal with prosecutors on Tuesday to plead guilty to two assault charges in exchange for having the other charges dropped.

As a result, Copeland was given two years probation with the possibility of jail time if he runs afoul of the law again. Copeland will be allowed to travel for fights if necessary. He was suspended indefinitely by the PFL following the initial charges and has since been released by the promotion following the guilty plea.

At the time of the incident, Copeland’s wife told Adams County (Colo.) police that the couple had an argument that began with both of them pushing each other and her slapping her husband in the face. Eventually, Copeland allegedly punched his wife, threw her on the bed and took her phone so she wouldn’t be able to call for help. Police later found the phone in Copeland’s pocket.

According to the police report, 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.” Meanwhile, Copeland had blood and redness on his face but did not remember punching his wife.

Copeland, a 36-year-old Denver native, reached the finals of PFL’s $1 million season, where he suffered a fourth-round technical knockout loss to Philipe Lins in the organization’s championship on Dec. 31. The Grudge Training Center product owns an 18-6-1 career record that included an 0-2 stint in the UFC.