An armed thief in Rio de Janeiro got more than he bargained for after attempting to steal from a young woman on Saturday, (January 5).
The ‘victim’ in question was 27-year-old UFC strawweight star Polyana Viana, whose current fight record reads 1-1 in the Octagon.
The MMA fighter had been waiting for an Uber outside her apartment building in Jacarepagua, when the would-be mugger approached her. By the time she got wise to his presence, he was already standing close to her.
Polyana knew the area could be dangerous, but believed she was safe on account of her proximity to the entrance of the apartment building.
Viana, who reportedly remained calm throughout her frightening encounter, told MMA Junkie:
When he saw I saw him, he sat next to me. He asked me the time, I said it, and I saw he wasn’t going to leave. So I already moved to put my cell phone in my waist.
And then he said, ‘Give me the phone. Don’t try to react, because I’m armed’. Then he put his hand over [a gun], but I realised it was too soft.
He was really close to me. So I thought, ‘If it’s a gun, he won’t have time to draw it.’ So I stood up. I threw two punches and a kick.
He fell, then I caught him in a rear-naked choke. Then I sat him down in the same place we were before and said, ‘Now we’ll wait for the police’.
Due to the soft feel of the gun, Polyana suspected it was actually just a toy gun, or possibly a knife. She later found out the ‘weapon’ was a mere cardboard cutout in the shape of a gun.
Polyana added:
I was fine, I was fine because he didn’t even react after. Since he took the punches very quickly, I think he was scared. So he didn’t react anymore. He told me to let him go, like ‘I just asked for the time’.
I said, ‘Asked for the time my ass,’ because he saw I was very angry. I said I wouldn’t let go and that I was going to call the police.
He said, ‘Call the police, then’ because he was scared I was going to beat him up more.
Polyana, who was alone at the time of the attempted mugging, asked passers-by to call the police after she’d restrained him.
Polyana said she kept his arm immobilised in a kimura-like position until police officers arrived. His injuries were treated at an emergency care facility before a crime report was written up at the police station.
UFC president Dana White summed the encounter up best in a tweet which included a picture of the mugger’s blooded and swollen face:
On the left is @Polyana_VianaDF, one of our @UFC fighters and on the right is the guy who tried to rob her #badfuckingidea [sic]
Absolutely, Dana.
If this badass woman doesn’t inspire you to learn a variety of mixed martial arts in 2019, then nothing will…
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.