MMA Fighter With Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Pins Man To Sidewalk Who Was On A Sucker-Punching Rampage In NYC

A jiu-jitsu black belt mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter was seen on video last week pinning a man who was reportedly on a sucker-punching rampage against innocent New York City pedestrians in the heart of Manhattan’s Soho shopping district.

The 44-year old MMA fighter, Ro Malabanan, told the New York Post that he witnessed Samuel Frazier, 28, sucker-punch a construction worker last Wednesday (July 27) morning as he was going to his boxing-instructor job.

Malabanan said he was walking toward the victim when Frazier suddenly came “out of nowhere” and “sucker-punched one of the guys in the side of the face.”

Malabanan, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and a yellow belt in judo, checked in with the victim to make sure he was okay and told him to call police, he told his Instagram followers.

That’s when he said “two other guys rolled up” who claimed the same man had just punched other random people down the block—so Malabanan jumped into action and started chasing after the assault suspect, taking him down from behind, he said.

According to video posted online, Malabanan pinned the accused perpetrator to the sidewalk in front of the Converse flagship store on Broadway, where several other purported victims of Frazier had gathered.

“My jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in. I jumped on his back,” Malabanan explained. “He tried to swing me off then—but for those of you in the know—a seatbelt position dragged him down to the floor, and I immediately took his back and pinned him to the ground.”

“They were walking into me,” Frazier claimed as he pleaded for mercy on the ground.

“Nah, that’s bulls–t, bro, you still don’t punch people in the face for no f—ing reason,” Malabanan retorted.

He said several “pissed off” victims then came up to him and said, “Yeah, this guy punched me in the face,” “Yeah, this guy hit me,” and “This guy hit an old guy,” and began trying to attack the neutralized suspect.

Malabanan demanded that they stop and call the cops instead of punching and kicking the man. Soon NYC police are seen arriving and handcuffing the assault suspect on video.

“Just another day,” Malabanan said.

“A lot of crazies out there right now in the streets, so just please be careful. They will sucker-punch you. They will take out their frustrations. It’s hot in New York right now; hot temperatures equals hot heads, and some people out there are just looking for a reason to just cause trouble. For those of you who are into martial arts, stay frosty, do your part, make sure you don’t punch him or kick him and turn it into more violence. If you can subdue him somehow and wait for the cops to get there, it’s probably the best situation. Everyone else just please stay aware.”

An initial police investigation revealed that Frazier previously delivered “unprovoked” attacks to the heads of a 50-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy, according to the NYPD.

Police also charged Frazier with two charges of assault, noting that he didn’t have a home address.

According to the New York Post, Malabanan relocated from the Philippines to New York City when he was nine years old and has has had to put his professional boxing career on hold because of concussions.

Malabanan is now a martial arts and boxing instructor who says he wants to help other New Yorkers defend themselves against bullies.