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#Man attacks former MMA fighter with knife in parking lot, gets choked unconscious

Pair of boxing gloves lying on floor in an empty gym — Please stop attempting crimes against MMA fighters, people. (Getty Images) (urbazon via Getty Images)

You really should never be randomly attacking people on the street, but the group of people you especially shouldn’t be targeting is trained mixed martial artists.

One unlucky person lived out that nightmare last week, when a security camera caught him trying to attack former MMA fighter Javier Baez with a knife in a parking lot. The result: The man was slammed to the ground and choked to unconsciousness.

That footage went viral days later, leading to Baez making an appearance on TMZ and explaining what happened before, during and after his altercation:

“I got to the parking lot late, and I was on the phone with my fiancee. I was in the car, I had left my keys in her house, so I was like, ‘Let me just chill for a little bit and go to work later.’ I heard him screaming in the parking lot. He banged on my door. I told him, ‘Leave me alone.’ He came back with a knife, cracked my windshield, and that’s when I stepped out. I told him, ‘I’m calling the cops,’ and then he just charged at me.

“Once I got there, I put him in an arm triangle. I was like, ‘You know what? The knife’s stuck, he’s not going to put it anywhere,’ so I put him in a chokehold. As soon as he goes out, I take the knife away from him. I put my knee on his belly, and I call the cops. And when he wakes up, he’s got my foot on his back.”

The man was identified by police as Omar Marrero and charged with two felonies, per CBS News.

What Marrero likely did not know was that Baez held a 5-2-1 record as a professional mixed martial artist, most of his bouts with Fight Time Promotions. Baez also told TMZ that he holds a black belt in jiu-jitsu, wrestled in college and has practiced kickboxing for 15 years. So, generally, he’s a very bad person to pick a fight with, even if you’re the one holding a knife.

This isn’t the first time someone has attempted a crime against an MMA fighter, as similar stories pop up here and there, with similar results.

Past examples include an attempted car theft against Kevin Holland, an attempted mugging of strawweight Polyana Viana, an attempted car theft against Jordan Williams, a home invasion of light heavyweight Anthony Smith, a drunken swing at Hall of Famer Matt Serra, a night-time break-in at ex-light heavyweight champ Jon Jones’ house, an attempted stabbing of featherweight Makwan Amirkhani’s brother and an attempted mugging of legend Renzo Gracie. There’s a reason you see the word “attempted” a lot in there.

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