Alex Nicholson speaks on alleged domestic violence incident; UFC has cleared him

UFC middleweight Alex Nicholson told MMAjunkie a third-party investigation looking into an alleged domestic violence incident between him and his fiancee is “cleared up.”

Nicholson (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is scheduled to fight Sam Alvey (28-8 MMA, 5-3 UFC) tonight at UFC Fight Night 98, and ahead of the bout, UFC officials confirmed the findings in a statement sent to MMAjunkie:

“Following a third-party investigation of the matter by the law firm of Campbell & Williams, UFC was informed that no sufficient evidence exists which indicates an act of domestic violence occurred as it concerns Alex Nicholson. Both Mr. Nicholson and his fiancee were interviewed, and all reports of the matter were thoroughly reviewed. It should be noted that the investigation confirmed that the State Attorney of Florida declined to proceed with a case against Mr. Nicholson, and the case was dismissed. UFC reserves the right to reevaluate the matter should new information be made available.”

The UFC previously announced it was looking into a situation that occurred in May at a 7-Eleven in Orando, Fla., where Nicholson trains out of American Top Team Orlando.

According to a police report, Nicholson allegedly picked up his fiancee and carried her out of the store before dropping her. Several bystanders allegedly pulled Nicholson off and took his fiancee back into the store, locking the door behind them. The woman suffered a contusion on her head, but refused to fill out domestic violence paperwork, per a report from MMAFighting.com.

Nicholson, who denied harming his fiancee, was charged nonetheless with domestic violence. But when the woman did not appear to testify in connection with the case, the charge was dropped.

The UFC’s investigation, announced in September, was another troubling issue for Nicholson, who was recently was reprimanded for making racially insensitive remarks toward welterweight Hyun Gyu Lim while cornering his longtime teammate Mike Perry.

In an extended interview, Nicholson addressed his troubles, claiming the alleged incident arose from a night of heavy drinking.

“To clear that up, Patron (happened),” he told MMAjunkie. “I didn’t put my hands on her. We were in a 7-Eleven. She was taking the ring off to show it to somebody, dropped it, and we’re in kind of a hood area in Orlando, so I said, ‘Nobody’s going to leave 7-Eleven until we find it.’ That obviously wasn’t the smartest decision at the time.”

Nicholson claims after his fiancee found the ring, an irate 7-Eleven worker called the police, at which point he decided to leave the store.

“She was still talking to her friend, and I was drunk,” Nicholson said. “I was like, ‘We have to get out of here.’ So I picked her up. As we came out of the store, we fell to the ground. I helped her up, and next thing I know, there’s a cop in my face. People are carrying her away, bringing her into 7-Eleven, and I’m in handcuffs.

“She comes back out, and we tried to avoid the situation. But once you’re in handcuffs in Orlando, they’re taking you away. Big misunderstanding.”

Nicholson steadfastly denied abusing his fiancee and said the promotion found no wrongdoing with his actions.

Still, he called the situation “a stupid choice. I can’t tell people they can’t leave 7-Eleven.”

“We’ve all been there, man – have too much to drink and make a stupid decision,” he added. “But I would never put my hands on a female. I love her to death. I would die for that woman.”

Nicholson returns to the octagon after a knockout win over Devin Clark at UFC Fight Night 91.

Watch the above video to hear Nicholson’s response to the controversies surrounding him and the fallout he’s encountered since.

And for more on UFC Fight Night 98, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.