UFC, Belator Fighter Josh Neer Case Closed After Investigation Into Brutal Beating of Heckler and Viral Video

After the last decade or so, the UFC (and mixed martial arts, in general) has taken off as one of the most entertaining and popular sports franchises in history. In turn, the "market" has become over-saturated with fighters trying to make it big. Every once in awhile, though, a mediocre athlete gets noticed. One of those athletes, Belator fighter Josh Neer, made headlines after a video of him viciously beating up a heckler went viral. Now, the Iowa Athletic Commission has announced a forthcoming investigation in the matter.

Before his time as a professional, Neer wrestled for Waldorf College in Forest City, Iowa. He began his training in boxing at the age of 18. In 2002, he embarked on a successful amateur career.

After spending some time in both the UFC and Belator MMA, Neer has amassed a respectable 36 wins. However, he has also lost a degrading 14 times. So, Neer's overall presence is seen as mediocre at best.

Also, it seems that the only time he makes headlines is when he beats up hecklers. According to Bloody Elbow, the incident was so brutal that the Iowa Athletic Commission had to launch an investigation:

"Josh Neer has been the center of attention over the past 24 hours after he uploaded a video of him seemingly beating up [a heckler]. Neer's clip quickly went viral across many MMA websites...and now Iowa Athletic Commission plans to investigate the matter to see if Neer broke any rules. In the report, IAC executive director Joe Walsh stated that a legal team is studying their rulebook, and that they generally have jurisdiction over events and not what goes on in gyms..."

If you haven't seen the video, you should check it out -- it seems over the top and down right vicious. However, according to TMZ Sports, it looks like the fighter is going to get away it:

"MMA fighter Josh Neer's gym beatdown was NOT a violation of Iowa Athletic Commission rules ... and therefore he will not be disciplined for his role in the fight...according to IAC honcho Joe Walsh, Neer is clean [saying,] 'We've determined that we don't have anything in our rules that covers incidents that take place in a gym...Because of that, there will be no further investigation. We've closed the case.'"

What are your opinions on the situation? Let us know what you think in the comment section below.