Filipino-American mixed martial artist (MMA) Ro Malabanan was on his way to work in New York when he witnessed a man getting sucker punched by an alleged serial attacker.
Letting his skills kick in, Mr Malabanan successfully subdued the attacker to the ground until the cops arrived.
The MMA fighter shared what happened on his Instagram account, noting he saw a man punch a construction worker out of nowhere.
He quickly rushed to the victim to check up on him, and the worker said he was “not ok.”
A passerby then revealed that “the guy has been punching people down Broadway.”
The men decided that something must be done, so they ran after the assailant.
Upon seeing their target, Mr Malabanan’s “jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in”, and he jumped on the man’s back.
Meanwhile, he informed the others to call the police.
Mr Malabanan looked like he was exerting no effort at all as he scrolled through his phone while pinning a man down to the ground.
Others also helped restrain the man who claimed the construction worker was “walking into him.”
Mr Malabanan retorted, “That’s bull****, bro. You still don’t punch people.”
A voice in the background, presumably the construction worker’s, added, “No, I was behind you.”
He noted that the police arrived within 10 minutes and arrested the attacker.
The 28-year-old suspect was charged with two counts of assault. He had previously attacked a 17-year-old boy and a 50-year-old man.
“A lot of crazies out there right now in the streets, so please be careful,” he urged his audience.
“It’s hot in New York right now. Hot temperatures equal hot heads. Some people out there are just looking for a reason to cause you trouble,” he added.
He also had a message for his fellow martial artists. “For those of you in the martial arts, stay frosty; do your part.”
Speaking to NBC New York, Mr Malabanan said, “I’m just really grateful I was able to stop someone and put my martial arts to use. Being able to help people, to do it in the real world, is incredible.” / TISG
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