Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Unsung Heroes Who Used MMA in the Real World

New York City resident Joe Lozito made headlines this past weekend when he helped subdue crazed murderer Maksim Gelman after Gelman attacked him with a knife on a subway train, and Lozito became MMA’s “man of the hour” when he told the press he learned his moves from watching countless UFCs.  But while the 270-pound father of two deserves all the kudos in the world for his actions (and mostly certainly earned the impromptu visit from Dana White and appurtenant schwag), Lozito is far from the only man to have used “ultimate fighting” techniques in the real world.  In fact, there are a ton of average joes out there who did their best to emulate what they saw in the Octagon in life-or-death situations.  Thankfully, MMA Journalist has compiled a list of these unsung heroes, and detailed their exploits for your reading pleasure.  Enjoy!

  • Daren Hammerstrom, June 6, 2003 – While walking down the street in Omaha, Nebraska, Daren Hammerstrom observed a bus barreling out of control down the street towards an elderly woman who shuffling her way through a crosswalk.  Without hesitation, Hammerstrom jumped into the path of the bus and attempted to armbar it.  He was not successful.
  • Robert Christof, April 22, 2010 – On a scuba diving excursion off the Florida Keys, Robert Christof and his wife encountered a Great White shark.  To provide time for his wife to swim away, Christof confronted the shark, and employed a guillotine choke when the predator approached.  His remains were never found.
  • Antwon DeMarlyle, September 15, 2007 – Upon discovering a cache of homemade pipe bombs in the woods behind his Mobile, Alabama home, Antwon DeMarlyle tried to disassemble them using a series of Thai kicks.  DeMarlyle has not been seen since.
  • Tricia Hester, August 30, 2009 – During a solo hiking trip in the Adirondack Mountains, Tricia Hester was attacked by a mountain lion.  She survived by taking the beast to the ground with a quadruple-leg takedown and laying on it for 15 minutes.  Unfortunately, Cecil Peoples awarded the mountain lion the unanimous decision when time expired.
  • Thomas Finnegan, January 4, 2005 – At a family picnic in San Jose, California, Thomas Finnegan was handed a jar of pickles that no other family member could open.  By placing the jar in the crook of his arm and twisting with his hips, Finnegan used proper heelhooking technique to get the lid off.  He still brags about it to this day.