Lavar Johnson shouldn't be here right now. And not "here" like kicking ass in Strikeforce and preparing for his July 22 heavyweight fight with Devin Cole. No, we mean not "here" as in not alive. You see, the 6-foot-3, 250 pound monster of a man was shot three times at a family reunion during Fourth of July weekend in 2009.

Less than two months after his Strikeforce debut where he pulverized Carl Seumanutafa in 18 seconds, Johnson was in Bakersfield, California, hugging his family good-bye, when all hell broke loose. It was an innocent family night that turned chaotic when 19-year-old Bennie Elwood West decided to randomly open fire on all the partygoers in search of somebody who may not have even been there. And perhaps the only reason why Johnson ended up with bullets in his abdomen was because he heroically shielded a little girl who stood frozen in fear as the tragic events unfolded. Johnson was left in critical condition as the bullets tore through his intestine, colon and stomach. But the fight in the big man kept him alive, and he was amazingly back in the cage knocking an opponent out eight months later. Just call him the "Black Superman" of mixed martial arts--everyone else already does. Read More...

Tags Devin Cole, Interviews, Lavar Johnson, MMA, Strikeforce