Polyana Viana, a 27-year-old Brazilian mixed martial artist, subdued an attempted mugger, which is not unexpected given her 10-2 fighting record. Viana said she was contacted by a guy while waiting for an Uber in front of her residence in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday.
“He sat next to me when he saw I saw him,” Viana explained. “He inquired what time it was, I told him, and I realized he wasn’t going anywhere.” So I reached for my phone and slid it inside my waistband. ‘Then give me the phone,’ he responded. Because I’m armed, don’t attempt to respond.’ Then he put his hand on (a rifle), but it was too soft for me.”
Polyana Viana’s instinct proved correct as the gun was merely a cardboard cutout of one.
“He was a really good friend of mine. ‘If it’s a gun, he won’t have time to draw it,’ I reasoned. As a result, I rose. Two punches and a kick were thrown by me. I caught him in a rear-naked choke when he collapsed. Then I put him down in the same spot we’d been and told him, ‘Now we’ll wait for the cops.'”
Viana, ever the attentive fighter, immobilized the unsuccessful criminal’s arm in a kimura-style posture until assistance came. While Viana filed a police complaint, the would-be mugger was taken to an emergency room before being sent to prison, where he was recently freed on a different charge.
Viana admits that the neighbourhood she was in was hazardous, but the MMA fighter had been waiting near the building because of it. However, after fending off her assailant, the criminal desired to be taken to the police station for protection.
“He told me to let him go, saying something along the lines of, ‘I only asked for the time.’ ‘Asked for the time, my ass,’ I muttered since he could tell I was upset. I stated that I would not relinquish my grip and that I would contact the authorities. He yelled, ‘Call the cops,’ because he was afraid I would continue to beat him up.”
Polyana Viana returned home unharmed that evening, preparing dinner for herself while the would-be mugger tended to his wounds. This isn’t the first time Viana scared off a potential mugger. She was approached by two men on a motorcycle near her previous home and as with this instance, Viana successfully warded the men off by punching one of them square in the face.
