Professional fighters sure do seem to draw an inordinate amount of online abuse.
Yet, somehow, each morning, we don’t all of a sudden awake to an avalanche of videos of pro fighters using their skills to hurt people.
Former UFC and Bellator veteran Josh Neer decided to buck that trend Monday when he posted a video of himself “sparring” a now former gym member at Iowa’s RoundKick Gym.
In the video, which can be seen here, Neer can be seen slamming his elbow into a crumpled figure not once, not twice, but six times. Firing off a pair of right crosses and left hooks, Neer then stands over the man and soccer kicks him in the face.
While Neer appeared to be wearing typical four-ounce MMA gloves, his opponent appears to be wearing 16-ounce boxing gloves.
Speaking with Bloody Elbow’s John Nash, Neer explains how his opponent’s online badgering led to the incident at the fighter’s local gym.
“Basically the guys a dumbass and been talking shit about MMA fighters for a month. On and on, I usually ignore him but this Saturday he wrote me on Facebook the message i gave. He had written 10 messages to me talking shit which I ignored, but this time I said if you really want to fight come to the gym Monday at 5:30.
I don’t know what his problem is but he’s a big guy, like 6-6 and 270 pounds and just acts like a bully. That what he seems like to me, just a bully.
He showed up at 6:10, 40 mins into my practice. And then I asked him if he wanted to fight Rakim or me and Rakim is bigger then me so of course he chose me.”
In an interview with MMA Fighting community member Emmery Myers, ‘bully’ Patrick Martin gave his take.
EM: Glad you’re not hurt. Thats incredible. So this was a planned match? How did it come about? Is Neer’s version of events accurate?
PM: Not quite! he’s adding all this talk, that I talk shit about MMA fighters when I talked shit to him after disrespecting me a bout a wrestling drill I was tired in! So I left it alone till I saw him out and I bought him a couple beers and then he walked of talking shit to his buddy about me! So I blew up on him on Facebook demanding a full contact spar! I said I’ll bring 16oz. So the beef is with him and a couple other of his gyms fighter who was talking shit on my page!
While Martin says he only wanted a round of the fighter’s time, he says Neer wanted a fight.
EM: Was this sparring session preplanned? What were the rules?
PM: Yeah the sparring session was planned and when I came in I was planning on sparing 2 fighters from the gym so I announced I’ll give them each three minutes. Neer replied real fight I sad I don’t have time for that so we agreed to a round! After saying “that’s all I need anyways with you” so I got my gloves and he needed more than a round!
Speaking with MMA Junkie, RoundKick head trainer Pete Peterson said Martin never lost consciousness from the strikes thrown by Neer in the video. He also claimed Neer never soccer kicked Martin, saying Neer ‘tripped’ while he was being pulled off.
“I don’t know why he wasn’t defending himself with the hands better, but he was not unconscious,” Peterson said. “I was right there, and he got up and started running his mouth again. Then we kicked him out of the gym.”
According to TMZ, the Iowa Athletic Commission is already looking into the incident.
“We are aware of the situation,” says IAC Executive Director Joe Walsh. “I have our legal team taking a thorough look at our rules. We’re checking to see if we have anything on the books that covers this.”
“We do have certain standards that our athletes must meet.”
5 MUST-READ STORIES
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Fortunes changed for five. Dave Meltzer explains how Frank Mir, Antonio Silva, Michael Johnson, Edson Barboza and Sam Alvey move forward from UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir.
‘I’m kind of like the older uncle yelling at him all the time.’ Mike Winkeljohn says he’s surprised Jon Jones didn’t ‘fall off the cliff’ because of his partying with ‘idiots.’
‘I got caught.’ Now in a ‘much better place’ mentally, Mark Hunt is moving on from his KO loss to Fabricio Werdum. ‘I had issues that came up. It wasn’t good….just mentioning it wore me down. I was broken at that time. It wasn’t good.’
MEDIA STEW
UFC 184 embedded episode 2.
Muay Thai champion John Wayne Parr training with Joe Rogan.
Highlights from KSW 30: Genesis and M-1 Challenge 55.
Nice fan promo for Aldo vs. McGregor.
UFC 189: Aldo vs McGregor Promo from BrattMamley on Vimeo.
“3 things to know about Mayweather vs. Pacquiao”
The NSFW Power Rangers remake you deserve.
Long watches.
…
…
TWEETS
Together again.
It’s an honor to have #Fedor out as part of the #Bellator134 events this week #LastEmperor pic.twitter.com/6UIJs5gpJJ
— Scott Coker (@ScottCoker) February 25, 2015
King.
“@TheRajinCajun: I’d like to see @Benaskren and @GeorgesStPierre fight one day. To see who’s king of the lay and pray.” I am
— Ben Askren (@Benaskren) February 24, 2015
Anderson keeping busy.
1st day of training camp starting off right! That good 1 on 1 session w/ big bro today. There are no… https://t.co/VW4LqjMCna
— Khalil Rountree (@war_khalil) February 24, 2015
Get well soon.
I want to apologise to @BellatorMMA @LSF4Life and all my supporters pic.twitter.com/34B8g3n2Wn
— Michael Venom Page (@Michaelpage247) February 24, 2015
Beefin’.
RT @JoeLauzon why have you blocked me!!! Do you want me to finish your UFC career.! pic.twitter.com/f7qZ8P6nDO
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) February 24, 2015
If it’s that’s personal you block me from ur Twitter Joe Lauzon.. Let’s sort this out 1 way, I was a fan of yours… http://t.co/Jcy7D9LhPm
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) February 24, 2015
I block trolls… I don’t need people tweeting at me about how I blocked someone. Of course I know, I was the one that did it months ago.
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) February 24, 2015
I don’t argue with people online anymore… I’m not in high school. I block and move along.
— Joe Lauzon (@JoeLauzon) February 24, 2015
@JoeLauzon @powerhousemma I respect you as a fighter! I asked to fight the winner of u and Sanchez after I got injured. Let’s fight man!!
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) February 24, 2015
Norman Parke’s open letter to Joe Lauzon http://t.co/n1tUrNIDTa
— STORMIN NORMAN PARKE (@norman_parke) February 25, 2015
Agreed.
Wasn’t feelin the Josh Neer beating up some scrub video. Why feed into negativity as much I would like 2 punch keyboard warriors, no point
— Derek Brunson (@DerekBrunson) February 24, 2015
Congrats.
GOT MY DOG BACK. I AM NOW UNSTOPPABLE.
— MAYHEM (@mayhemmiller) February 25, 2015
Damn.
“@LukeRockhold: Shhhhhhh RT @ryanbader:@lukerockhold came down to Power to give me the scoop on @dc_mma https://t.co/6GdAMvs8C9” traitor 🙂
— Daniel Cormier (@dc_mma) February 24, 2015
FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Announced yesterday (Feb. 24 2015)
Taylor Lapilus vs. Rocky Lee at UFC Fight Night: Cro Cop vs. Gonzaga
Yair Rodriguez vs. Charles Rosa at UFC 188
FANPOST OF THE DAY
Today’s Fanpost of the Day comes via Emmery Myers.
UFC fighters are radio-active…Welcome to the new age…
Outside of the nearly universally positive reaction to the new policy in terms of curbing PED use, there has been a lot of talk about the potential side-effects of the new steroid testing program. From cancelled fights, to diminished performances & gassed fighters, to derailed careers via suspensions, to increased injuries. The talk has primarily been about the negatives. But I don’t see it this way at all. This new policy will usher in the most turbulent era of change and divisional upheaval the sport has likely ever seen.
…
Check out the rest of the post here.
Found something you’d like to see in the Morning Report? Just hit me up on Twitter @SaintMMA and we’ll include it in tomorrow’s column.