A severe legal ordeal looms for one of Dana White’s marquee Zuffa Boxing stars. The Lakeland Police Department arrested the promotion’s standout super middleweight fighter Edgar Berlanga on Monday, October 26, 2026, in his residential town in Polk County, Florida, under two serious charges.

According to Uncrowned’s report, the authorities charged the 29-year-old Boxer primarily with two major offenses: first-degree misdemeanor battery, touch or strike, under Florida Statute Section 784.03, and second-degree felony aggravated battery under Florida Statute Section 784.045(1A1).

The details behind Berlanga’s arrest are yet to be publicly disclosed. However, the reports indicate the Zuffa Boxing star faced those charges from an alleged incident that occurred on October 18th.

Uncrowned’s obtained court documents also confirmed that Berlanga appeared in Bartow Courthouse on Tuesday. The judges reportedly set a combined bail amount of $16,000 for two charges, with his arraignment hearing already scheduled for 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 17.

If Berlanga gets convicted of both charges, that can create some serious trouble for him.  

Under the state’s law, the misdemeanor battery charge could send Berlanga to prison for a maximum of one year. However, a potential conviction of second-degree felony aggravated battery could send him behind bars for 15 years, making the situation significantly graver. 

The entire incident remains highly surprising because this is the first time Edgar Berlanga has been formally charged with a criminal offense. Still, Berlanga is not the only one who has landed in such a dire situation this year. 

Former UFC fighter Anthony Smith has also made headlines after police arrested him in his hometown of Nebraska on July 27, 2026, based on multiple felony charges following a heated altercation with his wife at a local restaurant. Smith was later released on a $500,000 bond, and he pleaded ‘not guilty’ in August.

For Edgar Berlanga, the arrest marks a major setback because it comes just months after signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing.

Edgar Berlanga’s future in Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing in question following arrest

Following his loss to Hamzah Sheeraz in 2025, Edgar Berlanga found a new chapter in White’s ambitious Zuffa Boxing. In April 2026, Berlanga signed with the boxing promotion alongside Richardson Hitchins to mark a historic double signing for Zuffa.

Reacting to his signing, the Brooklyn native expressed his excitement that Zuffa Boxing is poised to change the game and thanked the promotion’s top brass, like Dana White, Nick Khan, and others.

“Zuffa Boxing is changing the game,” Berlanga said in his statement. “I’m here for the biggest fights on boxing’s best platform. I’m here to put the super middleweight division on notice. ‘The Monster’ is back! Thank you to Dana White, Nick Khan, and the entire Zuffa Boxing team for believing in my talent… This is going to be a special journey.”

As Berlanga promised, his journey at White’s promotion indeed proved to be special. He knocked out Steven Butler at the Zuffa Boxing 9 event in July 2026, showing he is ready to control the game. However, before Berlanga could possibly follow the victory with another, his latest arrest just turned things south for him.

Without knowing the details of his arrest, it’s nearly impossible to predict his return timeline. Hopefully, clarity about Edgar Berlanga’s situation arrives ahead of his next appearance in court.