Millionaire fitness influencer battered man with weightlifting belt in workout clash

Wes Watson, an ex-con turned millionaire fitness influencer, has pleaded guilty to aggravated battery after striking a man with a weightlifting belt at a Miami gym

A millionaire fitness influencer has admitted hitting a man with a weightlifting belt during a heated gym dispute. Wes Watson confessed to aggravated battery over the incident.

The 42-year-old could now face 21 months in jail under an agreement negotiated with prosecutors. Watson has amassed millions of followers online with videos about workouts, discipline and his life as a former convict.

However, he found himself embroiled in controversy following a fracas at Elev8tion Fitness in Miami-Dade County, Florida. CCTV footage revealed Watson striking the victim with a weightlifting belt, according to an arrest affidavit. He told police he had been exercising when the man allegedly approached him and said he wanted to fight.

Nevertheless, he later presented a different account of events online, claiming self-defence to his followers on an Instagram account which has since been deleted.

Watson submitted his guilty plea on Thursday (July 2).

Under the agreed deal, prosecutors have proposed a 21-month prison sentence. This would incorporate credit for time already served.

The agreement also suggests seven years of probation and court-ordered mental health treatment. The California-born influencer previously completed a 10-year prison sentence for crimes associated with his role as a cannabis dealer.

He was released in 2018. Watson also started the GP Penitentiary Life podcast, where he shared his beliefs and time spent in custody, as well as established a fitness business called Watson Fit.

Furthermore, he has featured on television programmes in the series Hooked On The Look and independent thriller The Colony.

The gymnasium incident occurred on 29 December 2024, as reported by Need To Know.

Watson is scheduled to be sentenced on July 17.

Watson stays at the Metrowest Detention Center after his bail was withdrawn in March following a series of charges connected to an alleged domestic violence incident in Broward County.

That separate case remains open and Watson has pleaded not guilty.