Former UFC fighter shares divisive view on travel rape case

The sexual assault case that has shocked the world has taken a twist with an American fighter making a divisive accusation.

Former UFC star Jake Shields has sparked angry debate with explosive comments about the rape case that has shocked the world.

A Spanish tourist on a motorbike trip through India was allegedly gang-raped by seven men on Friday after stopping with her husband to camp for the night.

According to local media, eight men have been arrested over the alleged attack, which occurred in the eastern state of Jharkhand in the Dumka district.

The 28-year-old victim — who has not been named by authorities — is a motorbike travel blogger who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram with her husband, under the handle Vuelta al Mundo en Moto (Around the World by Motorbike).

The couple, Vicente and Fernanda, have travelled to 66 countries since leaving Barcelona five years ago, according to their profile.

They announced the disturbing news to their followers in a series of Instagram Stories on Friday night.

The distraught woman had visible bruises and swelling on her face.

Vincente revealed horrifying details of the alleged incident.

“They beat us,” he said. “They put a knife to my neck, and told me they were going to kill me. Fernanda was raped. Seven of them. Seven men. Sons of bitches.”

He said in another post, showing his broken teeth and swollen lip, that the was hit several times in the head with a helmet and his “mouth is destroyed”.

The woman has not been identified. Photo: Instaram, @jakeshields.

Despite the man’s injuries, Shields on Tuesday responded to a news story about the incident by saying Vicente should have done more to protect his partner.

“His wife was rapped by 7 men and the man hardly has bruises,” the American wrote on Twitter.

“If 7 men tried to rape any girl I’m with I need to be dead or unconscious. It appears he got hit once or twice and decided to watch instead of fight. She will leave him and rightfully so within a year.

“As a man you should be willing to die protect your girl with out a second thought.”

His comments have sparked a furious response from many Twitter users.

Shields responded to criticism about his comments by calling those Twitter users “cowards”.

One Twitter user responded to Shields by writing: “You have absolutely no clue what really happened but you still blame the victims - that disgusts me”.

Shields responded: “I feel sorry for your wife”.

Shields, 45, last fought in the Professional Fighters League in 2018 and had previously won world titles in the welterweight division.

He has previously made headlines for outspoken comments surrounding race, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation.

It comes after Fernanda was on Tuesday forced to defend herself against claims she and her partner “brought this on ourselves”.

The couple were attacked after stopping to camp for the night. Picture: Instagram

The travelling couple had recently concluded a trip to Sri Lanka before the Indian leg of their journey, and were on their way to Nepal via Bhagalpur.

The attack took place after the couple stopped to camp the night in a tent near the Hansdiha market.

“This is a condemnable incident and the police are taking appropriate action,” said Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, a state minister in Jharkhand.

“The culprits will not be spared.”

The Spanish embassy in India has contacted authorities and dispatched staff to the region to assist the couple, Euronews reported.

An average of nearly 90 rapes were reported in India every day in 2022, according to data by the National Crime Records Bureau.

However, large numbers go unreported due to prevailing stigmas around victims and a lack of faith in police investigations.

Convictions remain rare, with cases getting stuck for years in India’s clogged-up criminal justice system.

The gang rape and murder of an Indian student made global headlines in 2012.

Jyoti Singh, a 23-year-old physiotherapy student, was raped and assaulted and left for dead by five men and a teenager on a bus in New Delhi in December that year.

They were on their way to Nepal via Bhagalpur. Picture: Instagram

The horrific crime shone an international spotlight on India’s high levels of sexual violence and sparked weeks of protests, and eventually a change in the law to introduce the death penalty for rape.

Sexual violence against female tourists is also disturbingly common.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) says travellers should “exercise a high degree of caution” in India.

“Women may face higher levels of verbal and physical harassment or sexual assault,” DFAT says. “Avoid travelling alone, even in major cities and tourist sites. It is rare for people who commit these crimes to be successfully prosecuted by the law.”

In one notorious case in 2018, 33-year-old Latvian tourist Liga Skromane was drugged, raped and beheaded before her corpse was left hanging upside down in a forest.

The Ireland resident had travelled to Kerala hoping to be treated for depression at a popular yoga retreat, but went missing a few weeks after arriving in the country.

Reduxx founder Anna Slatz shared Vicente and Fernanda’s Instagram videos on X, where they have been viewed 87.5 million times.

They have travelled to 66 countries on their motorbike tour. Picture: Instagram

“The level of sexual aggression I witnessed while living in India for several years was unlike anywhere else I have ever been,” journalist David Josef Volodzko wrote in response.

“Once a total stranger, a British woman, asked to sleep in my bed and pretend to be my girlfriend on a train ride because a man walking by in the hall had licked her foot and she felt unsafe.

“I introduced a female friend to a young Indian man and instead of shaking her hand, he groped her breast, and when she became angry he became extremely hostile and I thought I was going to have to fight the guy.

“I never met a female traveller who had not been groped or assaulted or worse, even if they had only been in country for mere days.

“I love India. It is and always will be one of my favourite places in the world. But I have advised female friends who asked me not to travel there alone. This is a real problem in Indian society that warrants more attention and that I hope will improve in time.”

— with Frank Chung

Originally published as Former UFC fighter shares divisive view on travel rape case