(In the picture above: Justin Levens gets his hands taped by Juanito Ibarra prior to an IFL fight at the Oracle Arena on January 19, 2007 in Oakland, California. Photo taken from daylife.com)
The former UFC fighter Justin Levens (28 years old) and his wife Sarah McLean-Levens (25 years old) were found dead due to gunshot wounds at their home in Laguna Niguel, California. The case was labeled as an apparent murder-suicide according to authorities.
Levens who held an overall MMA record of 9-8 had lost five of his last fights. The light heavyweight fighter participated in numerous organizations including the UFC, WEC and the IFL. He was scheduled to fight for the first Affliction fight card back in July of 2008. However, his fight was later canceled due to some last-minute issues that were held at the event. During some pre-fight drug tests, Levens tested positive for Oxymorphone. The drug is used for severe pain and also as a preoperative medication to alleviate apprehension, maintain anesthesia, and as an obstetric analgesic. Because the drug is illegal in mixed martial arts, he was fined and suspended for six months. The suspension wouldn’t let him fight until January 15 of 2009.
Our blessings go to his family and close friends on this unfortunate tragedy.
