Twitter fingers that turned to physical action have now resulted in legal proceedings.
Former UFC welterweight title challenger Jake Shields faces one charge of misdemeanor battery after a physical altercation in December with fellow UFC alum Mike Jackson at the UFC Performance Institute in Las Vegas.
Shields, 44, was charged Aug. 8 and failed to appear at an arraignment Sept. 21, according to Clark County (Nev.) online court records. Shortly thereafter, a bench warrant was issued. MMA Fighting first reported the news Wednesday after Jackson revealed the legal development in an interview.
A portion of the altercation was captured on video and quickly went viral after Shields posted in on Twitter. The video shows Shields on top of Jackson inside the world-class gym as he lands a couple of open-handed strikes. As Jackson yells out, Shields’ teammates pulled their counterpart off.
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
Shortly after the altercation, MMA Junkie spoke to both Jackson and Shields in December. They shared different perspectives – but a common disdain for one another.
At the time, Jackson told MMA Junkie he intended to press charges.
“All of this is assault. Apparently, the dude is running around saying I punched him or I threw a punch or something,” Jackson said. “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.”
Days after the incident, Shields told MMA Junkie he was aware Jackson intended to press charges, but didn’t seem too worried.
“I think he’s a lawyer. He’ll probably press charges,” Shields said. “He’ll probably do it. He’s a little b*tch. I just don’t think he’s got a case. People can see his talking. They can see him calling me a Nazi. They can see the racism he’s saying. I didn’t hurt him. I was just slapping him. He was trying to gouge my eyes out. He’s been calling me a Nazi and white nationalist for months. That’s defamation.”
Should Shields be arrested and found guilty, he could face up to six months in prison and a $1,000 fine.
