[4][5] Known for his use of elbows to cut opponents and nicknamed "Stitch 'em Up",[6] Schilling began fighting professionally in 2006 and was a two-time national titlist before defeating Kaoklai Kaennorsing to become the WBC Muay Thai Interim World Light Heavyweight Champion in 2011.
After being kicked out of the family home at 17, he worked odd jobs and began his fighting career in local Toughman Contests while living in a small property that his grandmother owned with his brother Kevin.
[11] After a short and unremarkable amateur career, Schilling turned professional on September 30, 2006, taking on Lawson Baker in an 84 kg/185 lb bout on ten days' notice in Inglewood, California.
[12] Having amassed an undefeated record over the course of the next year, Schilling was given the opportunity to fight for the vacant International Karate Kickboxing Council (IKKC) United States Super Middleweight (-75 kg/165 lb) Muay Thai Championship against Russian import Denis Grachev in Highland, California, on November 29, 2007.
Schilling also debuted as a professional boxer on December 20, 2008, and knocked out his opponent Orlando Brizzio in just five seconds, the fastest KO in American combat sports history.
[14] He made his return to Muay Thai in early 2009 and took wins over Chidi Njokuani and Chris Spång before experiencing a devastating loss to Wang Hong Xiang on August 30, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
[11] Schilling made his return to the ring on September 26, 2010, in his adopted hometown of Los Angeles where he faced Ryan Roy in a bout for the Muay Thai Association of America (MTAA) United States Super Middleweight (-75 kg/165 lb) Championship.
After dominating Roy in the first round utilizing his height advantage with knees from the Thai clinch, Schilling forced the referee to stop the contest in the second when he barraged his opponent with a series of unanswered elbows.
[16][17] Less than a month later, he made his international debut as he defeated Argentine opponent Luciano Vazquez via fourth round technical knockout at the historic Rajadamnern Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on October 24, 2010.
[18][19] On December 5, 2010, in Los Angeles, he beat Chaz Mulkey by third-round TKO in a WBC Muay Thai United States Super Middleweight (-76.204 kg/168 lb) title eliminator.
[22][23] After forcing a standing eight count on Green with a combination of a thip to the face and punches early in round one, he pounced on his hurt opponent and finished the fight with a flurry of strikes at the 2:13 mark of the opening stanza.
[27][28][29] The bout was the pair's rubber match as they had gone 1-1 as amateurs, and Schilling took the lead in their rivalry as he knocked his foe unconscious with a knee strike inside the opening round to claim his second national title.
[30] Having established himself as an elite fighter domestically, Schilling was matched up with two-time Rajadamnern Stadium Champion and K-1 star Kaoklai Kaennorsing in a WBC Interim World Light Heavyweight Championship bout at the M-One: Thailand vs. America event held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on October 21, 2011.
[40] After the fight, Schilling's camp made the accusation that the sweep that Marcus used to daze him initially was illegal and appealed to the Nevada State Athletic Commission to have the bout result overturned to a no contest, which was rejected.
[46] Despite losing in the number one contender's match, Schilling was to be given a shot at Artem Levin and his WBC World Light Heavyweight Championship at the Battle for the Belts event in Bangkok, Thailand on June 9, 2012, after Simon Marcus pulled out.
[47] However, Levin himself then withdrew due to knee surgery[48] and, while Artem Vakhitov was originally tabbed as his replacement,[49] Karapet Karapetyan eventually stepped in as the final opponent and Schilling's interim title was put on the line.
Marcus was docked a point by referee "Big" John McCarthy for dropping his gumshield numerous times and, now forced to go for the knockout, was caught by a counter right cross from Schilling in the last twenty seconds of the fight which left him unconscious on the mat.
[94] Following his Bellator Kickboxing 4 win over Vittorio Iermano at the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy on December 10, 2016, Schilling and two of his coaches were involved in a street altercation outside the venue with a group of seven locals.
[96] Footage emerged on June 28, 2021, showing Schilling punching and knocking unconscious 31-year-old Justin Balboa in a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the previous night.
[98] On July 1, Balboa filed a personal injury lawsuit in Broward County circuit court against Schilling for battery, and the bar where the incident took place for negligence.
[99] In April 2023, Broward County Circuit Judge Fabienne E. Fahnestock issued a ruling on the Fort Lauderdale case, declaring Schilling's actions to be an act of self-defense according to Florida's stand-your-ground law,[100] only the necessary amount of force to "neutralize the threat."