Welterweight Michael Graves faces battery charge, removed from card

          • Brett OkamotoOct 3, 2016, 08:12 PM ET
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              Brett Okamoto has reported on mixed martial arts and boxing at ESPN since 2010. He has covered all of the biggest events in combat sports during that time, including in-depth interviews and features with names such as Dana White, Khabib Nurmagomedov, Conor McGregor, Nate Diaz, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Georges St-Pierre. He was also a producer on the 30 for 30 film: "Chuck and Tito," which looked back at the careers and rivalry of Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. He lives in Las Vegas, and is an avid, below-average golfer in his spare time.
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          The UFC has removed welterweight Michael Graves from a scheduled bout on Nov. 19 after Graves was arrested over the weekend in Atlanta on a misdemeanor battery charge.

          Graves, 25, was scheduled to face Sergio Moraes at UFC Fight Night in Brazil. A UFC official told ESPN.com the promotion has officially pulled that bout and is in the process of gathering more information.

          "The UFC organization is aware that Michael Graves was arrested over the weekend on a misdemeanor battery charge," a UFC statement read. "The organization takes this situation seriously and is in the process of gathering more information.

          "Graves has been removed from his scheduled bout on Nov. 19 as a result of the pending legal matter."

          Graves (6-0-1) was arrested and processed by the Atlanta Police Department on Saturday. He was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery against a family member.

          The Atlanta Police Department did not immediately respond to requests for more information from ESPN.com.

          Fighting out of American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Florida, Graves is coming off a majority draw against Bojan Velickovic at UFC 201 in Atlanta. He is a former contestant on "The Ultimate Fighter" reality series.