I agree that pleading no contest to the pfa is a bad idea.

Maybe I'm a cold sob, but frankly if I had a child with my girlfriend a dna test would be the first thing I would get, particularly if we were splitting up.
IMO if the child ends up not being his then he should count his blessings that he's free of the bitch. I'm aware of the emotions involved after raising a child he thought was his own, but he would still be better off in long run IMO.

Obviously if the child is his he should attempt to get full custody.

Good luck with this one. I wish him the best.