Leonard Garcia Now Free to Fight

Leonard Garcia may be considered a bad boy fighter at 145 pounds in the World Extreme Cage fighting organization, but he is no longer considered to be a drug trafficker in Lubock, Texas.

He had been arrested on drug charges after a four-year investigation into his involvement with 12 other men in a cocaine trafficking ring, but he has now been released from house arrest due to a lack of evidence. He will once again be free to resume his career in MMA fighting.

"For a while I was fighting to get my life back," said Garcia who now hopes to return to Greg Jackson's camp and resume training for his return to the WEC organization and his career.

The case against him eventually amounted to his being in the wrong place at the wrong time with some old friends, one of them trying to lie about his involvement in the group's illegal activities going back to 2001.

Being cleared lifts an unneeded weight off Garcia's shoulders, though in the past putting on weight to make the 155-pound weight class was a problem for him.

Trainer Greg Jackson said that Garcia used to walk around just three pounds heavier than the weight he fought at and once actually had to eat breakfast to be able to make the weight limit before a fight.

He left the 155-pound weight limit and the UFC behind and went to 145 at WEC. There he fought and demolished Hiroyuki Tokaya with a TKO in his last fight before the dust up with authorities and the drug charges.

Being able to stand in line with others hoping for a future match with Uriah Faber is much better than being held on charges that could cost him $2 to $4 million and 40 years to life in prison.

It will take him time to return to being physically ready to fight, however. The ankle band that monitored his activity for the four months of house arrest hurt his leg when he tried to run or exercise.

All the pent up anger over the false charges may be useful in giving him the fire to face further opponents in the ring.

At least there are no charges or ankle monitors to hold him back now, and he can rejoin his best buddy Donald "the Cowboy" Cerrone at Jackson's gym.

Good luck, Leonard. And be sure to keep your nose clean.