Warning: There is some graphic imagery below. Please turn away if you’re squeamish.
Needless to say, theft is never a good idea. And as one man in Rio de Janeiro learned, the reasons why are more varied than you may think.
Brazilian UFC strawweight fighter Polyana Viana was waiting for an Uber outside of her apartment in Jacarepagua, a neighborhood west of Rio, when a man approached her asking for the time. In a quote to MMA Junkie, Viana explained what happened next:
“When he saw I saw him, he sat next to me,” Viana said. “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 realized 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,” she continued. “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.’”
If Viana’s description of the takedown isn’t enough, UFC President Dana White tweeted photos of the aftermath.
