FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A video has gone viral of a man knocked out by an MMA fighter at a Fort Lauderdale bar.
The athlete said what the man said to him left him “fighting mad.”
Thirty-one-year-old Justin Balboa was knocked out cold on Sunday night at B Square Burger and Booze on Las Olas.
Joe Schilling, 37, is the person delivering the blows and his punches are effective.
He’s stands 6 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs 270 pounds and he’s a professional MMA fighter.
“Widely considered the best American kick boxer of all time,” he said.
But Burger and Booze isn’t the ring.
According to Balboa’s attorney, whatever was said just before the punches were thrown didn’t warrant the knockout.
“He could have walked away. He could have even pushed our client,” said attorney Rob Soloman. “There’s a lot of things he could have done rather than haul off and hit somebody.”
The restaurant’s manager told police Balboa is a frequent patron.
In the police report it was stated, “The person who was struck is a regular customer who routinely causes problems at the establishment due to his intoxication level.”
“If Mr. Balboa was such a problem, then don’t let him in the bar. It’s that simple,” said Soloman.
Shortly after getting knocked out, police made contact with Balboa just a few blocks west of the incident.
He had a bloody lip and police said he looked drunk. He told them he was drunk but said he couldn’t imagine why he was punched.
Balboa has a record, as he has been arrested a number of times and charged with DUI, disorderly conduct and possession of cocaine and Oxycodone.
Schilling lives in Los Angeles, where he owns a gym.
He wrote in a since deleted Instagram post that Balboa spewed a racial slur towards a busboy.
The post read in part, “The busboy was seriously offended but doesn’t want to lose his job,” and went on to say, “When he flexed on me, I was scared for my life and simply defending myself against the evil in this world #sorryimnotsorry.”
Balboa told police he’s pressing charges, which means the courts will likely decide if the punches were justified or not.
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