Former Bellator MMA and Glory Kickboxing fighter Joe Schilling leveled random bar patron Justin Balboa back on June 27 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in what “scared” Schilling insists was “self defense” in a life-or-death situation.
Watch the video here and decide for yourself.
“We were all having a good time and this guy just cracked me,” Balboa told police in a video obtained by TMZ Sports. “And then he chased me. He chased me down, bro. Like chased me down. Beat my ass, bro. He wanted to kill me. For no reason. ‘Cause he hates me.”
Balboa, 31, is seeking battery charges while also filing a civil suit.
“I cannot believe [Schilling] thought it was okay to just haul off and crack somebody twice like that,” attorney Robert Solomon told TMZ Sports. “He’s lucky we’re not dealing with a manslaughter case. The reality of it is is this guy took this way too far.”
Schilling, 37, has not competed professionally since getting stopped by Tony Johnson back in late 2019.