Zuffa Boxing's Edgar Berlanga charged with felony aggravated battery in Florida

Zuffa Boxing super middleweight Edgar Berlanga was arrested by the Lakeland Police Department in Polk County, Florida, on Monday, Oct. 26. He is charged with one felony count of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of battery, according to court records first reported by Uncrowned on Tuesday.

The charges relate to an incident on Oct. 18. Berlanga, 29, appeared before a judge on Tuesday and bail was set at a combined $16,000, ESPN reported. He has been charged, not convicted.

The charges

Uncrowned reports that the felony is a second-degree charge carrying up to 15 years in prison, and the misdemeanor carries up to one year. ESPN describes the counts as domestic violence aggravated battery and domestic battery.

The alleged victim is the mother of his child. According to the police report as described by ESPN, the two argued while driving after a visit to a gun range. She told police he hit her with an open hand, then took a pistol and struck her forehead with the handle end. When she tried to get out of the car, she said, he grabbed her left arm.

She got away to a 7-Eleven, where bystanders called police, according to TMZ. The responding officer noted "swelling and bruising on her forehead," per ESPN, and she sought care at a local clinic.

TMZ reported that she told police she did not want to press charges. The probable cause affidavit, as quoted in a follow-up by Uncrowned on Wednesday, says she "repeatedly expressed uncertainty" about whether to pursue them.

Berlanga had not issued a statement as of Wednesday, SB Nation reported. The New York Post said his attorney did not immediately return a message. No report includes comment from Zuffa Boxing, which has not announced any disciplinary action.

Where his career stands

Berlanga (24-2, 19 KOs) signed a multi-fight deal with Zuffa Boxing in April, announced alongside Richardson Hitchins, ESPN reported at the time. He previously fought under Matchroom, per SB Nation.

His last four fights have gone loss, win, loss, win, per his record. He lost a unanimous decision to Canelo Alvarez for the WBA, WBC and WBO titles in September 2024. In March 2025 he knocked out Jonathan Gonzalez Ortiz in the first round, then Hamzah Sheeraz stopped him in the fifth round that July.

Most recently, he beat Steven Butler at Zuffa Boxing 9 on July 26 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. He got up from an early knockdown to win by seventh-round TKO, Uncrowned noted. He is No. 13 in the WBC's October rankings, down from No. 10, according to the box-rank aggregator. Zuffa hasn't announced his next fight.

What comes next

His arraignment is set for 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 17, where he will be formally read the charges and can enter a plea.

The UFC, Zuffa Boxing's sister promotion, has faced this before. In 2016 it pulled Michael Graves from a bout after a misdemeanor domestic battery arrest. It barred him pending a third-party investigation, then released him, theScore reported.

After Nick Diaz's 2018 arrest, the UFC said "every athlete is deserving of due process." It added that an independent party would investigate, per Cageside Press.

We think those cases are only a loose guide. Both came before TKO took over the UFC in 2023, and we don't know of a written Zuffa Boxing conduct policy. Any step before Nov. 17, such as a suspension, would be the promotion's own decision.