MMA Fighter Takes Down Man Attacking Others On NYC Street

NEW YORK CITY, NY — As a mixed martial artist, Ro Malabanan believes it's his responsibility to stand up for those who can't stand up for themselves. That belief was put into action when Malabanan recently spotted a man who he said was assaulting others on a SoHo street.

Malabanan was on his way to work on July 24 when he spotted a man, later identified as Samuel Frazier, punch a construction worker, he told The New York Post.

Malabanan, who has a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, immediately sprang into action.

"My jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in. I jumped on his back," Malabanan told the Post. "He tried to swing me off then — but for those of you in the know — a seatbelt position dragged him down to the floor, and I immediately took his back and pinned him to the ground."

Malabanan, who moved to New York City from the Philippines when he was nine years old, posted a video of the encounter on his Instagram. In the video, Malabanan has Frazier pinned to the ground. He remains on top of Frazier as he waits for the police.

"They were walking into me," Frazier said in the video.

"You still don't punch people in the face for no f------ reason," Malabanan replies.

According to a report by NBC New York, police said Frazier, 28, assaulted two people in unprovoked attacks. Malabanan did not speak to police when they arrived because he was late for work, NBC New York reported.

Following the incident, Malabanan posted on Instagram, where he spoke about his experiences with harassment and called on New Yorkers to help each other when faced with a similar situation.

"As human beings, I believe we have to show empathy and compassion to others because we are all going through things," Malabanan wrote. "And at the end of the day, we are just trying to do the best we can."