Following an insensitive post aimed at Khabib Nurmagomedov, Israeli MMA star launches another provocative post, targets former American UFC fighter
Israeli MMA star Haim Gozali recently lashed out at former UFC fighter Jake Shields on social media and posted an image of an Israeli missile with Shield's name written on it.
For context, Gozali has been at the center of controversy over the past few weeks for his social media posts. The former Bellator contender came under intense public scrutiny after targeting prominent Muslim MMA fighters online. Gozali notably posted a highly insensitive image of a missile with the names Khabib Nurmagomedov, Khamzat Chimaev, and Belal Muhammad engraved on it.
Haim Gozali's post sent shockwaves across the MMA community, many of whom have an eye on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict and the resulting humanitarian crisis. As the conflict rages on, many have picked sides, and Jake Shields has staunchly voiced his support for the people of Gaza on social media.
His posts irked Haim Gozali, and the Israeli star recently took to Instagram to attack Shields. Posting a picture of the former UFC star's name written on a missile, he wrote:
"This is from my friend @jakeshields with [love]. Hate is the source of all the problems in the world."
Not one to hold back, Jake Shields returned fire on X and responded to Haim Gozali, writing:
"Cowardly Israeli fighter making threats against my life @Haimgozali. When I saw him at the gym, he wouldn’t train with me, but I watched a 13-year-old kid submit him. If you have the b**ls, I’ll fight you anywhere, anytime, but I know you will make excuses."
Former UFC star Jake Shields doubles down on pro-Palestine stance
Former UFC star Jake Shields recently shared his take on the criticism he's received since voicing his support for Palestine. As mentioned, Israel and Palestine have been involved in a brutal conflict since Hamas' vicious terrorist attack on an Israeli music festival on October 7.
Shields has consistently taken a stand for the Palestinian people over the course of the conflict and often sheds light on the plight of the victims of war. However, many of the jiu-jitsu savant's followers are not on board with his views and have been attacking him for his posts.
Responding to the hate he's received for his posts, the former UFC star quote-tweeted his own post about Israeli oppression on X and wrote:
"I post a picture from Wikipedia about one or Israelis Torture camps and instead of people condemning their torture they call me antisemitic. These people should be ashamed of themselves. Being opposed to torture is not antiemetic."