Thug tries to mug MMA fighter by jumping him from behind. It didn't end well.
One of the oldest sayings in gambling is “don’t get greedy, quit while you’re ahead.”
Peter Hamilton should’ve heeded that advice.
In West Palm Beach, Florida, Hamilton had just robbed a sandwich shop, according to police, when he saw a man walking by himself down the street and decided to mug him, figuring in for a penny, in for a pound as far as his alleged crime spree went.
Trouble was, the lone wanderer in question was former MMA fighter Jose Andres Cortes.
What happened next was a thing of beauty; Cortes subdued Hamilton and, without doing anything that could be construed as the use of excessive force in self-defense, simply held Hamilton in place until police arrived.
WPBF-TV in West Palm Beach has the video:
Cortes and Hamilton got in a bit of a scrap at first, but as the fighter recalled, “I said, ‘It’s OK guys, I’m a pro fighter.’ Then he gave up.”
The moral of the story is don’t mess with a guy whose nickname is “The Colombian Necktie.”
Cortes also said that there’s a lesson to be learned here for ordinary citizens.
“Be alert,” he said, “because this could happen to anybody that is not as skilled as me.”
The move itself is one of the more basic throws in grappling MMA techniques, using the weight of a guy attacking from behind against him and throwing him forward over the shoulder to bring him down and turn the attacker into the attacked:
.@CBS12 EXCLUSIVE: Jose Cortes used this move when he was attacked in broad daylight in @DowntownWPB . What his attacker didn’t know is that he’s a professional MMA fighter! 😬
… I bet his attacker is second-guessing that decision now! pic.twitter.com/LzTXjFuCWD
— Niala Charles (@NialaCharles) April 2, 2018
All things considered, Hamilton probably got off easy. Florida is a stand-your-ground state, so if Hamilton had assaulted someone whose weapon was not grappling but firearms, the would-be victim would’ve been within his rights to shoot him. Getting thrown to the ground and meekly surrendering to police was probably his best-case scenario when he pushed his luck after the restaurant robbery.
As it stands, robbery is a second-degree felony in Florida punishable by 15 years in prison when not committed with a firearm. Had Hamilton been armed, he’d be looking at 30 years on a first-degree felony if convicted.
As for Cortes, he gets to be a hero and enjoy 15 minutes of fame; he might be undistinguished as an MMA fighter, with just a 3-4 professional record, but he’s 1-0 against attackers on the street.
And for those considering robbing restaurants, let this be a lesson to quit while you’re ahead.
Or, on second thought, maybe try obeying the law. It’s just safer for all involved.
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