We love mixed martial arts for many reasons; the athleticism, the technique, the heart, and the carnage – but retired MMA fighter Tom “Mate” Anderton demonstrated the effectiveness of MMA, in particular Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, for self-defence.
Anderton no longer competes inside the cage. He’s a businessman and the owner of Tom’s Music Trade in Red Lion, Pennsylvania. He recalls an accident where he noticed a customer attempting to steal records from his store.
Anderton wasn’t going to sit back and let the potential thief to steal right under his nose, so he confronted the man and pulled the records from his back pocket.
The man then pulled a knife on the former mixed martial arts fighter, who quickly disarmed the man before securing a rear-naked choke as his BBJ instincts took over.
Recollecting, he hadn’t intended to choke the probable-thief but to just calm him down. But the man continued to try break-away and didn’t calm down – Anderton had no choice but to force him to calm down.
When the man woke up, Anderton said he was much more subdued and he let him go. But it shows you how far a little self-defence training can go.