DOES MMA WORK IN REAL LIFE?
Imagine it’s the middle of the night. You’re deep in REM sleep when a strange noise wakes you up. An intruder is in your house.
Your heart races.
Your breathing quickens.
Your muscles tighten.
What do you do next?
This nightmare scenario is something we’ve all thought about. But for UFC fighter Anthony Smith, it was something he actually experienced recently.
With his wife and kids to protect, the light heavyweight contender jumped from his bed and bolted down the stairs. And who does this 6-foot-4, 205-pound professional MMA fighter face when he finds the intruder?
A 21-year-old man who’s barely 170 pounds.
So Smith probably mopped the floor with this guy, right? Knocked him out in a flash with a devastating knee to the head? Or maybe shot in with a double-leg take-down and secured a rear naked choke to subdue the burglar in a few seconds?
Nope. Not even close.
A black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who’s been fighting professionally since 2008, Smith said it was “one of the toughest fights” of his life. The violent encounter lasted for a whopping 5 minutes until police finally arrived.
As the saying goes, “When seconds count, police are minutes away.”
You can watch the “Lionheart” recount the incident in his own words in the video above.
But needless to say, his MMA training definitely made a difference … but it didn’t provide all the answers. If you haven’t already, it’s worth taking some time to watch the entire video. Then proceed reading below.
Here are our major Tiga Tactics Takeaways from Smith’s experience:
- Practice: Just like a fire drill, have a SHTF plan for a home invasion scenario and rehearse it with everyone who lives in your household.
- Lock Up: Smith’s encounter reaffirms what our friends in law enforcement and our own criminal research already revealed: The most common entry points for criminals are the front door and the garage. So lock your doors (and windows) and double-check them before you go to bed.
- If You Got It, Use It: Smith said he had a security system … but didn’t arm it before he went to bed. This is obvious — if you have an alarm system, use it.
- Make Ready: Self-defense tools are useless if they’re not within arm’s reach. When poop hits the fan, you just won’t have time to go searching for your weapon.
- Keep Training: While you might be a skilled warrior in your own right, there’s a good chance you’re not a UFC fighter vying for the light heavyweight championship of the world. But Smith is — and his fight took 5 long minutes. Do you have the wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, and striking skills (and the physical stamina) to fend off someone who’s possibly under the influence of a controlled substance or mentally unstable?
We’re not saying you need to be a UFC contender to prevail in a violent encounter. You don’t have to be a physical specimen and MMA expert like Smith to win. But what we are saying is that you want to stack the odds in your favor. You want as many advantages as possible when your life is (or your loved ones’ lives are) on the line.
So train hard and train often.
If you don’t have the time or opportunity to study MMA, tactical firearms, or some form of self-defense, go to one of our live seminars or check out our online courses.
In the meantime, stay alert, stay humble, stay kind.
