UFC welterweight Kevin Holland said he was enjoying a drink when a gunman opened fire in a Houston sushi restaurant Monday.
Holland and another MMA fighter have been hailed as heroes after they took down the gunman Ra Sushi.
“I’d just finished my meal at Ra Sushi, other people were still eating — you know, big guy, faster eater — I was on my second cup of liquor and enjoying the night,” Holland says.
MMA FIGHTERS TAKE DOWN HOUSTON GUNMAN AT SUSHI RESTAURANT
The fighter, who was fresh off a win at UFC 272, initially thought the sound was the pop of a champagne bottle at a birthday party.
“As I go to turn around and look, I see one of the employees and some other people running with a look of biblical fear on their face,” Holland continues.
This was Kevin Holland’s reaction shortly after he and a friend took down a gunman Monday night at a restaurant in Houston.
Full story: https://t.co/OynF23aZqi
(? @Trailblaze2top / @ko_reps) pic.twitter.com/YxN2WdtPXI
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 15, 2022
“People were running everywhere. I looked over on the right side of the bar and noticed two guys wrestling with a gun,” he says. “Then, I get up, start running that way. I picked up a chair. I was going to smack the guy with a chair, but I couldn’t see exactly which person it was. I put the chair down and realized the person on the bottom was the shooter. I helped the guy pull the gun free and pulled the guy back into my lap, hit him with a rear-naked choke, and choked him to sleep.”
Although Holland has been lauded for his actions, the UFC star does not believe he prevented a mass shooting, according to a report.
“Honestly, the guy had a revolver, so it couldn’t have been a mass shooting. That’s six shots. Maybe the guy was trying to rob the place. Maybe the guy was high and just tripping. There’s no guarantee what his intentions were, but he had a gun when we were all eating. When they shoot, it’s just natural instinct to do something,” Holland concludes.
Following the incident, 24-year-old Jesus Samaniego was arrested by local authorities.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Samaniego was already wanted for a misdemeanor at the time of the shooting.
