Jump to
Just a quick reminder before we get started. The first rule of self-defense is run away if you can. No matter how heated, almost no confrontation is worth risking life and limb over.
That said, sometimes you can’t run away so it helps to know how to stand your ground and fight if you must. Again, for emphasis, you should only stand and fight if you absolutely have to.
MMA vet Javier Baez disarms knife-wielding attacker
Retired MMA fighter Javier Baez hasn’t fought in the cage since 2018 when he dropped his second fight in a row, losing to Diego Silva via submission in the second round of their XFN 22 bout.
But Baez made the news this week when he used his grappling skills to subdue a dude with a huge knife.
Baez seemed unperturbed in the aftermath, dropping lots of classic quotes as he told his story to the local NBC crew.
“When you train so many times, it becomes just a reflex. He was out there screaming, going crazy. I think he was drugged up. I put him in a chokehold and he kinda just let it go. No one is worried about anything else but breathing when you are losing air.
“I was able to hold him down with my knee and call the cops. He woke up and cops came and it was good. Easy.”
Javier “Unbreakable” Baez earned a 5-2-1 record as a professional mixed martial artist, fighting from August 2011 until December 2018. Two of his wins came via KO or TKO and two were by submission (one arm bar and one rear naked choke). Submissions were a double-edged sword for Baez with both of his losses coming via tap out. He also had one bout go to a draw.
That time Kevin Holland subdued a man with a gun
UFC welterweight MMA fighter Kevin Holland found himself in a similar situation last year in a Houston restaurant. Once again, discretion couldn’t prove the better part of valor because of the dangerousness of the situation and the deadly nature of the threat confronting Holland.
“It seemed like the safer route, to go to (the gun), instead of going away from it,” Holland said of the incident in an interview shortly after the event. “I started off in kung fu before I did any type of martial art. Self-defense first.”
“It was instinct just to go to it instead of going away from it. Back in the day, we used to always say, ‘if it’s a knife, run. If it’s a gun, you go to.’ So it was a gun, we went to, instead of going away. Safer option. It worked out, smooth.”
“I wouldn’t tell the next person to do it unless they’re seriously trained for this type of situation,” he said. “Besides just doing cagefighting, I trained self-defense first and foremost. To me, that was the proper way to defend myself at the moment. So that’s where I went. Plus, I like Batman.”
BJJ black belt Haisam Rida dealt with would be thief
Craig Jones student Haisam Rida recently found himself in a similar situation with a would-be carjacker in Austin, Texas.
When his B-Team colleague Nicky Ryan let him know something suspicious was going on with his car, Rida was quick to respond….with his BJJ skills.
“We checked the [security] camera, I saw that and took off,” Rida explained. After confronting the suspect, Rida saw he’d taken numerous valuables from his vehicle. “This guy had my Supreme fanny pack with my passport, debit card[…]” said Rida.
Security footage shows Rida footsweeping the suspect, the later continuing to resist after being grounded. “He kept trying to escape, so I rear-naked choke him from behind. When the cops got there, I told them my story.”
Join the new Bloody Elbow
Our Substack is where we feature the work of writers like Zach Arnold, John Nash and Connor Reubusch. We’re fighting for the sport, the fighters and the fans. Please help us by subscribing today.
About the author
