Rio Arriba County deputies are looking for an Abiquiú cage fighter accused of beating his girlfriend beyond recognition after she tried and failed to get money to buy cocaine.

Margarito Velasquez, 43, is wanted on a felony warrant charging him with aggravated battery on a household member. State District Judge Sheri Raphaelson has set a cash-only bond of $10,000.

According to Deputy David Coleman, Velasquez and his girlfriend were at a friend's house in Hernández on Thursday night when the girlfriend called her mother to ask for money to buy cocaine. Coleman said the mother refused after hearing Velasquez, in the background, begin to beat the girlfriend.

Another woman at the residence tried to intercede, causing Velasquez to hit her as well, but the girlfriend escaped to another home, where she called for assistance, Coleman said. He said the girlfriend's face was so swollen from the beating that he did not recognize her Thursday.

Velasquez, an electrician, has trained locally as a cage fighter for years. He is described as 5 feet 10 inches tall, 180 pounds, with a stocky build, short black hair and tattoos, including a tribal emblem on his left shoulder.

Coleman said Velasquez should be considered "extremely dangerous" because he has been involved in other similar incidents. He may be with relatives in Abiquiú or the Española area.

The Rio Arriba County Sheriff's Office requests that anyone who sees Velasquez or knows of his whereabouts call 911 or the Rio Arriba County law-enforcement dispatch, 505-753-3329, and ask to speak directly with Sheriff Tommy Rodella.