[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Tale of the tape!
Mixed martial artist and former professional Bellator fighter Joe Schilling is making headlines for all the wrong reasons Monday after a very, very violent incident that apparently went down this past weekend.
A video has gone viral across social media showing the 37-year-old Schilling knocking out a man at a bar with a quick and VERY vicious combo of punches.
And now, the ex-professional fighter is speaking out about it — and claiming the entire incident was self-defense on his part.
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Video of the incident first hit the web on Schilling’s own Instagram account, but the post was quickly removed and noted by the site as being “against our community guidelines.”
Before it could be deleted, it was pulled off IG and multiple Twitter users picked it up. You can watch the actual physical part of the incident (below), but be warned, as it is remarkably violent and ends with the victim being knocked out cold and evidently seriously injured on the barroom floor.
Nevertheless, here is the violent clip that Schilling alleges to be self-defense (below, NSFW):
Footage emerged of former GLORY Tournament Champion & Bellator fighter Joe Schilling assaulting a man in a bar dispute. The fighter took it to social media and claims it was self-defense, during a "life-threatening experience". pic.twitter.com/cybXpPJWFT
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) June 28, 2021
WHOA! That’s so scary…
And where did that even come from? Like, what would possibly explain something like Schilling’s reaction there — he escalated to violence SO quickly, and seemingly out of nowhere, and then just as soon as it started, it was all over. Like, did the victim say something about the initial nudge and that set him off?? Seriously, we’re so confused.
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On Monday, TMZ caught up with the former fighter about the scary incident, and while he alleged self-defense, the Bellator alum also claimed in a statement that the victim in the video actually set things off by first making a racist comment to one of the bar’s Black employees.
Schilling alleged (below):
“This guy’s rapping like an idiot. The bus boy who happens to be black walks by and this idiot bumps into him and screams out, ‘Me and broke n****s we don’t get along.’ The bus boy was seriously offended but doesn’t want to lose his job. [Then] as the night goes on, this clown starts looking at me and rapping whatever song is being played while making eye contact with me. I’m like, ‘What’s wrong with this idiot.’”
Schilling claims that he decided to go outside to smoke a cigarette at one point, and when he came back in, things escalated from there — and it was all picked up on camera in that clip.
The former GLORY Tournament champion claimed:
“I turn around and he flexes on me. Bad decisions are made everyday. As you can see from this video, when he flexed on me I was scared for my life, and [was] simply defending myself against the evil in this world.”
The fight pro also claimed that “several members of the bar’s staff” later came up to “thank him” after the knockout. Really?? If the victim was supposedly so bad to staff, why didn’t they just kick him out?! And if he’d refused to leave, why not call the police instead of this?? There are procedures for things like rowdy or allegedly racist and unwanted bar patrons. Of course, that being said, time and time again we hear stories where nothing is done about racism, so honestly who knows!
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Later on Monday, in a post on his Instagram Stories, the former pro further added this eye-popping statement (below):
“If you think I’m going to be the guy to calm everything down you got me f**ked up. I’m here for the show.”
FWIW, TMZ claims it’s “unclear” whether law enforcement has gotten involved at this point.
What do U make of this whole situation, Perezcious readers?! Was Schilling acting in self-defense, or is that just a convenient excuse?
Share your thoughts with us down in the comments (below)…
[Image via Can’t Stop Crazy/YouTube/GLORY Kickboxing/YouTube]
The post MMA Fighter: 'I Was Scared For My Life' In Brutal Bar Fight KO — But Video Shows Different appeared first on Perez Hilton.
