Former UFC title challenger and MMA coach Jake Shields has been charged with misdemeanor battery following an alleged assault he made on Mike Jackson in December at the UFC Performance Institute but has yet to be detained or held in custody.
Jake Shields, a former UFC title challenger and MMA coach, is facing a misdemeanor battery charge in connection with an alleged assault. The incident involved Mike Jackson and reportedly occurred at the UFC Performance Institute in December last year. Shields, aged 44, is facing one count of misdemeanor battery. He was summoned to court on August 9 but did not appear for an arraignment on September 21, leading to a bench warrant being issued for his arrest on the same day.
Shields has not been detained or held in custody based on the misdemeanor charge. Attempts to reach the fighter for comments yielded no immediate response. Meanwhile, Jackson, 38, disclosed the charges against Shields during an interview. Jackson expressed his disdain for Shields, warning him to be on his best behavior and saying the authorities were looking for him.
The feud between Jackson and Shields originated from a disagreement over race and politics on Twitter, escalating into a physical conflict while both were training at Las Vegas’s UFC PI. Shields boasted about the incident on Twitter, posting a video that seemed to show him punching Jackson as bystanders watched. He referred to Jackson as a “racist,” suggesting their altercation had provided a reality check for Jackson’s online behavior.
Jackson, however, tells a different story. According to him, Shields attacked him unexpectedly, prompting Jackson to press charges with the Las Vegas police. He also claimed that he tried to arrange a boxing match with Shields to settle their dispute in the ring, but the match never materialized. He accused Shields of cowardly attacking him from behind and refused to meet his fighting conditions. He also mentioned a warrant for Shield’s arrest, warning him that the authorities were coming for him. If Shields is convicted, he could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.