MMA fighter Joe Schilling claims he was defending himself after video footage emerged of him punching a fellow customer unconscious.
In the video, the customer seemed to be in a jovial mood yet quite clearly intoxicated. Schilling appeared to have bumped into the bar patron as he walked past to which the patron said something in Schilling’s direction. In response, the MMA fighter turned back around to face him before unleashing a punch sending the patron unconscious to the floor. Just before he punched him, the drunk patron seemed to flex in some way, which clearly rubbed Schilling the wrong way.
In a statement, Schilling revealed how racist and obnoxious the patron was behaving towards a black employee in the bar, further showcasing how intoxicated the man was. The former Bellator fighter explained the situation in which he was actually afraid for his life when the patron flexed in front of him to which Schilling made it clear that he was just defending himself.
“Little context…this guy’s rapping like an idiot. The busboy, who happens to be black, walks by, and this idiot bumps into him and screams out, ‘Me and broke [N-word], we don’t get along.’ The busboy was seriously offended but doesn’t want to lose his job. As the night goes on, this clown starts looking at me…I go outside to smoke; as I’m walking back, he bumps into me. I put my hand out to catch him, he immediately says sorry. You can see me nod my head like cool. Then he realizes it’s me, the guy he’s been rapping at all night, and he yells, “hey.” I turn around, and he flexes on me….bad decisions are made every day. The busboy and DJ came up to thank me. As you can see from this video, when he flexed on me, I was scared for my life and simply defending myself against the evil in this world.”
Schilling is a former 2013 Glory Kickboxing Middleweight Champion and a former Bellator fighter, so some believe his actions were a bit over the top. Some have doubted whether Schilling was even afraid for his life despite claims that he was. Nevertheless, Schilling could possibly face the long arm of the law if the patron wishes to pursue a civil case.
Do you believe that Joe Schilling was acting in self-defense?
