Ex-UFC fighter posts video of gym beat down; opponent wants rematch
Former UFC fighter Josh Neer released a controversial video this week that purports to show the veteran competitor dishing out a beat down of an alleged trash talker at a gym in Iowa after the two of them agreed to a fight following a flurry of text messages. And now the opponent is telling his side of the story.
In the video (later taken down but obtained by TMZ), Neer is seen on top of the man, bludgeoning him to the head with elbow strikes before being pulled off by two other members of the gym. As Neer is being pulled away, he appears to kick the man -- identified as Patrick Martin -- in the face.
Following the video going viral just a day ago, Neer told his version of events to Bloody Elbow, claiming that the entire altercation started because Martin sent him a barrage of text messages, which he took screen shots of and later released, that included some very colorful language aimed at the former UFC welterweight.
Neer -- a pro fighter with more than 50 professional bouts on his record -- says he challenged Martin to come into the gym where they would settle their differences. In one text exchange released by Neer, Martin says, "full contact, me and you Monday" and later calls Neer "a f---ing joke."
Patrick Peterson, owner and head instructor at the RoundKick Gym where the incident took place, told Bloody Elbow that he believes the more brutal interpretations of the video are not entirely accurate.
"The elbows look bad, but they’re not hard-cut elbows," Peterson said. "They were forearm, more or less. And you hear it on camera, and it sounds worse than it was."
Peterson also denied that Neer was attempting to kick Martin at the end of the video, saying he was trying to catch his balance.
After the video landed online, Neer later said he believed Martin was acting like a bully and hopefully after this incident, he would humble himself.
As brutal as the video may be, no charges have been filed against Neer and there's no indication Martin will pursue legal action against the former UFC fighter. In fact, he apparently wants a rematch. Martin took to Facebook on Monday to express his displeasure at the video for only showing a portion of the fight and to challenge Neer to another round.
In an interview with MMA Fighting on Tuesday, Martin also claims that everything we see on the video took place after a three-minute sparring round had ended.
"Everything you see is after the round bell sounded as I turned away from him picking up my mouth piece I dropped after the round," Martin says in the interview.
According to TMZ, the Iowa Athletic Commission plans to investigate the situation, though IAC executive director Joe Walsh told TMZ that they generally have jurisdiction only over events and not what goes on in gyms.
Neer has been out of action since October 2014 and hasn't fought in the Octagon since UFC 157 in 2013.
