Remember, all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
With his MMA career possibly on the line, and a felony aggravated assault charge hanging over his head, Mason ‘Sticks’ Hibbs slid into my Instagram DMs to say he didn’t pull a 9mm on his mother during his 23rd birthday party over an unpaid bar tab.
There’s little doubt that many in Memphis are chattering over what went down July 9 at TJ Mulligans bar where Hibbs was out with friends, his mother and her boyfriend for drinks and food to celebrate the MMA brawler’s birthday.
What happened after the drinks and food began to flow is up for debate, but, for Hibbs, he doesn’t agree with the way he’s being portrayed in a police report obtained by the Memphis CBS affiliate.
Freshly bonded out of jail, Hibbs contacted OutKick to set the record straight.
Sticks doesn’t disagree that he and his mother have a history of “past arguments” but he contends that everything was going fine until he and some buddies tried to leave the party.
“My buddy took a video of all of us dancing and hanging out and she [Hibbs’ mother] got pissed off because she doesn’t like him,” Mason (2-7 MMA career; he’s lost four in a row) told OutKick. “She started yelling at me that he needs to delete the video.”
Trying to keep the peace, Mason says he told his mother that the friend wasn’t recording her. “At that point, we were just ready to leave,” Mason added.
Did MMA fighter Mason Hibbs pull a 9 on his mom over an unpaid bar tab?
Hibbs and his friends head for their car and that’s when more trouble starts. The son doesn’t disagree that there was a showdown.
“I get into the car to leave. My weapon was in the vehicle. It wasn’t used in any way,” Hibbs continued. “I brought my backpack inside that I bring everywhere and I was putting my weapon back into my backpack and she just so happened to be there when I was putting it in [the backpack].
“She said I pulled it out on her and told her I was going to use it, which why would I do that? It’s my mom. I don’t care how much you make me mad, I just would never do that.”
At that point, Sticks says his mom starts saying he threatened her with the gun. That leads to mom’s boyfriend entering the conversation. “He’s like, ‘That’s f–ked up, Mason,'” Sticks remembers.
“I’d just had enough at that point. I said, go sit down, go somewhere inside. I told him, look, I’m not here to fight.”
Words were exchanged. Things got heated. Yes, there were 23rd birthday fisticuffs, but Sticks says his mom’s boyfriend threw the first punch. The two go to the ground and the next thing he knew, a buddy was yanking him off the two-man dogpile.
Did MMA fighter Mason Hibbs run out on a bar tab on his 23rd birthday which led to a BUNCH of drama with his mother?
Hibbs vehemently denies that he ran out of TJ Mulligans on his bar tab. “I paid my own tab. My tab was paid,” he said with conviction. “My two friends who were there, there tab wasn’t paid because they were coming back. She was yelling at me for it.”
Hibbs sent a screenshot of his purported bar tab. He says his meal was great and not denying that he had a few drinks.
“I gave them $30 in cash and then I put $15 on my card,” the Louisiana native said in his defense.
Why was mom playing sheriff? Why did she make a scene?
“Because she pretty much lives at that bar,” the son fired back.
Is this mother-son she-said/he-said situation resolvable? Can this be settled like adults and can these two get past these troubling times?
Look, there’s no winners in this story. Sticks could lose his MMA career. The mother and son are at war. The boyfriend reportedly got his eyes and lip lit up by the ground and pound game.
Put it this way, it will be an absolute miracle if this family can get together for Thanksgiving 2024.
“Due to the situation, I don’t want to put myself in this situation again, so I don’t plan on speaking to her again,” Hibbs said of any possible chance to resolve this so lives can move along. “I have a pending felony for something I didn’t do.”
What’s next for Sticks?
According to Tapology, the alleged bar tab bandit is supposed to fight at Attitude 31 in West Memphis, Arkansas on Saturday, August 10 against flyweight Scott Calvert who is 4-3 and coming off a win.
Right now, the arrest isn’t effecting Sticks’ MMA career and he’d like to keep it that way. “I don’t need it to come out as this guy pulled a weapon on his mom over a $20 bar tab. That’s not what happened,” Sticks concluded.
