According to Mike Jackson, Jake Shields has been banned from the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas following a physical altercation between the two. That though may be the least of Shields’ concerns as Jackson fully intends to press charges.
Jackson and Shields have been at odds with one another for weeks, trading barbs and calling each other racist on social media. The animosity came to a boiling point when the two just happened to be at the UFC PI at the same time last week. Jackson was making just his second visit to the institute after undergoing surgery on his face to repair injuries stemming from his knockout loss to Pete Rodriguez in October. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Jackson shared his side of the story and what led to the incident.
“He looks like a f*cking gorilla, Jake Shields,” Jackson said. “He’s probably 230, 240 (pounds) right now just steroided up. He’s just looking at me. … I understand the beef he and I have on social media, but in my mind, I’m like, ‘We’re at the PI in a business setting.’ I know he’s not in the UFC, so therefore he’s a guest at the PI.”
According to Jackson, he was hitting pads when Shields suddenly began yelling at him from across the room. Frustrated by the situation, Jackson did his best to avoid a confrontation and prevent any unwanted consequences.
“In my mind, I’m so frustrated at the situation, because I can’t really do anything,” Jackson said. “I can’t do anything for health reasons for my own purposes (because of the face surgery), plus I’m at the PI. I don’t know what their protocol is, if I engage with him, if they’ll kick us both out.”
Finally ran into the bitch Mike Jackson
He quickly discovered the difference between calling people Nazis In person vs on Twitter
This racist is lucky so many people were there to save his pathetic racist ass pic.twitter.com/90luT0YjfG
— Jake Shields (@jakeshieldsajj) December 16, 2022
Jake Shields Reportedly Surrounded Mike Jackson With Five Other Guys Before Launching Attack
Mike Jackson claims that Shields had approached him with five other guys. Striking coach Drew Cooper allegedly told Jackson it would be wise of him to leave the building. Jackson agreed and was in the process of gathering his things when he says Jake Shields spit on him. Jackson was then surrounded by Shield’s “gang of thugs” as the former UFC title challenger slapped Jackson on his head and spat on him once again.
Jackson continued to gather his belongings and attempted to leave. On his way, he called Jake Shields a “nazi” which prompted one of the men with Shields to shove Jackson in the back. That’s when Jackson says he was taken down by Shields. The video posted by Shields on social media shows him on top of Jackson, throwing punches as Jackson pleaded with the onlookers to help. By the time the altercation was broken up, it looked like Shields was the one a little worse for wear.
“When they finally got him up, he had blood coming down his face,” Jackson said. “I know the motherf*cker spit on me, which was so disrespectful and such a f*cking white nationalist thing to do; I washed that off. But when Jake Shields looks in the mirror every day, whether he goes blind – because I don’t know if I hit the eyeball or it was on the skin – whenever he looks in the mirror and sees that little abrasion, he’s going to remember me. He’s going to remember the anti-Nazi Mike Jackson.”
Following the incident, UFC employees on-site removed Shields from the building and issued a permanent ban according to Jackson. He also addressed Shield’s claim that Jackson threw the first punch in the altercation.
“(The UFC staff was) like, ‘He’s banned. Jake Shields is banned. He can never come back here, so what you wanna do? He can’t come back to the PI. Do you want to leave it at that or press charges?’” Jackson said. “All of this is assault. Apparently the dude is running around saying I punched him or I threw a punch or something. None of that’s true. Here’s why I know it’s true: I didn’t throw a punch at the guy, and all of this is on video” (h/t MMA Junkie)