*Warning - this story contains images that might upset some people
A man has found out the hard way that it's a bad idea to try and rob an MMA athlete.
Polyana Viana punches JJ Aldrich in the UFC. Photo: AFP
UFC fighter Polyana Viana was waiting outside her Rio de Janeiro apartment on the weekend, when the thief approached and threatened to take her phone.
UFC president Dana White shared a picture of the aftermath of the attempted robbery of Polyana. Photo: Instagram / Dana White
Realising the danger, the Brazilian strawweight took matters into her own hands, using her MMA skills to drop the man and keep him immobilised until the police arrived.
"He said: 'Give me the phone. Don't try to react, because I'm armed'," Viana told MMA Junkie.
"Then he put his hand over [a gun], but I realised it was too soft.
"So I stood up. I threw two punches and a kick. He fell, then I caught him in a rear naked choke. Then I sat him down and said, 'Now we'll wait for the police.'"
Viana, 26, has a 10-2 MMA record.
Her last fight ended in a decision loss to JJ Aldrich at UFC 227 last August.
-BBC
