In a viral video that surfaced earlier this week, Joe Schilling punches a bar patron he bumped into and knocks the man out cold. As he walks away, Schilling seems to show no remorse for his actions.
Joe Schilling took to social media yesterday to give his version of events. In an exclusive with Hans Molenkamp, Schilling claims that the bar patron, still unidentified, was harassing staff and making racist comments throughout the night. (H/T Beyond Kickboxing)
“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****s, we don’t get along.’ The busboy is serriously offended, but doesn’t want to lose his job.”
He continues in the interview, “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 to all night and yells, ‘Hey!’ I turn around and he flexes on me … bad decisions are made everyday.”
“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.”
Joe Schilling's statement regarding the incident. pic.twitter.com/zOBb38SlvG
— Beyond Kickboxing (@Beyond_Kick) June 28, 2021
According to Joe Schilling, the bar patron was also a domestic abuser.
About twelve hours after the interview, Joe Schilling shared screenshots of what are, presumably, messages from the bar patron’s ex-partner and a friend of the ex-partner. The messages claim the unidentified man’s abusive, insinuating that he got what he deserved. Schilling posted the screenshots and labeled them “The Lord’s Work.”
Schilling’s post may be a supplement to his original explanation or a justification for his actions; his intentions are not clear. He has received support from both fans and other fighters but has received harsh criticism as well.
Schilling, who has been inactive since he suffered a knockout loss to Tony Johnson at Bellator 229, has not made any additional statements. Nor has he volunteered to provide the identity of the man’s ex-partner and friend, as many have requested he validate that the messages are authentic.