Filipinos are known to be helpful. No matter where we are or who we are with, we always have this instinct to lend a helping hand to the people who need it. Such is the case with this good samaritan who didn’t think twice about stepping in when he saw other people being attacked.
Filipino-American Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Ro Malabanan gained the respect of New Yorkers after jumping to the defense of several individuals being violently assaulted by a crazed attacker on the busy streets of Manhattan’s SoHo area.
The altercation was captured on video by a bystander, which Malabanan posted on his Instagram account. According to him, he was on his way to work when he saw the assaulter sucker punch a random construction worker on the street right in front of him.
Regarding why he sprang into action, he said that “his jiu-jitsu instincts just kicked in”. In the same post, he recounted that he checked in with the victim first before chasing behind the attacker and knocking him down.
The 44-year-old MMA fighter put his black belt in Jiu-jitsu and yellow belt in Judo to good use in subduing the attacker. “I jumped on his back. He tried to swing me off but those of you who don’t know – seatbelt position – down to the floor, I took his back and pinned him to the ground,” he described how he was able to overpower the man.
People were quick to applaud Malabanan for his actions, commenting with praises such as “hero” and “real life batman”. He humbly acknowledged the admiration, saying that he was “just doing [his] part as a New Yorker.”
In another post, Malabanan disclosed that what happened was nothing out of the ordinary, revealing that in the years that he’s been living in New York since he was nine, he has also experienced harassment due to his race.
He also pointed out that it is his duty as a martial artist “to stand up for those who cannot” and called on his fellow martial artists to also do their part in protecting others.
Source: https://www.instagram.com/rotheshow/
