Trying to steal the cell phone from a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter known as the “Iron Lady” is not a great idea, but a Brazilian thief discovered it too late: when her face was all covered in bruises.
After a failed assault attempt, Polyana Viana, a strawweight fighter and former world jiu-jitsu champion, punched and kicked the failed thief twice before immobilizing him with a choke hold, while waiting for the attack to arrive. police, reported the MMA Junkie page on Monday.
A member of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the most prestigious MMA league in the world, this 26-year-old fighter was approached by the thief on Saturday while waiting for an Uber in front of her home in Pechincha, a popular neighborhood in western Rio.
Although the man tried to intimidate her by saying that he was carrying a gun, Viana decided to act when she saw that it seemed fictitious.
After reducing the attacker to blows, he was able to verify that it was indeed cardboard.
The fighter posted on Instagram photos of the thief full of bruises, with a swollen face and bloodstained shirt.
“As he received the blows very quickly, I think he was scared,” the fighter later said, explaining that the assailant had had to be transferred to a medical center to treat his wounds.
After filing the complaint at the police station, Viana returned home. She said she had pain in her hands the next day, but nothing serious.
The wave of violence that affects Rio de Janeiro, the second richest state and the third most populous in Brazil, intensified after the 2016 Olympic Games.
The new far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, who took office on January 1, promised to launch an all-out fight against crime.
The former Army captain also defends the release of the carrying of weapons so that “good people” can defend themselves.
MMA is a very popular sport in Brazil, where it has a large community of fans. Many stars of the discipline are also originally from the South American giant, such as Amanda Nunes, world featherweight and bantamweight champion on December 30 after defeating her compatriot Cris Cyborg. Afp