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Earlier this month, we reported on B-Team Jiu-Jitsu black belt Haisam Rida’s street altercation with an alleged would-be car thief. In the original clip posted to B-Team coach Craig Jones’ Instagram page, the IBJJF American National champion is seen conversing with police post-fight while the suspect is attended to. Yesterday, BJJ Twitter user @JiujitsuOtter posted an extended clip featuring more of the fight, aftermath and a short interview with Rida describing the event.
Haisam Rida runs to the scene
Flanked by fellow B-team star Nicky Ryan, Haisam Rida is again seen describing the altercation to gathered officers. Now with the benefit of audio, the original clip being dubbed with “Bad Boys Reply” by Inner Circle, moans of excruciating pain can be heard from the suspect as he’s loaded into the gurney.
Mid training at B-Team HQ in Austin, TX, Rida was alerted by Ryan that the break-in was occuring. “We checked the [security] camera, I saw that and took off,” Rida explained. After confronting the suspect, Rida saw he’d taken numerous valuables from his vehicle. “This guy had my Supreme fanny pack with my passport, debit card[…]” said Rida.
Security footage shows Rida footsweeping the suspect, the later continuing to resist after being grounded. “He kept trying to escape, so I rear-naked choke him from behind. When the cops got there, I told them my story.”
The officers are then seen confirming that the suspect sustained no serious injuries, and that Rida acted within his rights to defend his property.
Another BJJ PR Story
Far from the first, Rida’s situation is the latest in a long line of high-profile self-defense situations featuring BJJ. UFC vet Ryan Hall used the mount to subdue a drunk restaurant patron in 2011, with former UFC champ Matt Sera experiencing a remarkably similar situation in 2018. More recently, Former UFC title challenger Anthony “Lionheart” Smith utilized grappling during a harrowing home invasion he endured in 2020, and UFC welterweight Kevin Holland even used BJJ to help disarm a gunman In March of 2022.
Has BJJ helped you keep yourself safe in dangerous situations? Tell your story in the comments below!
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