UFC's Kevin Holland, friend take down gunman in Houston restaurant shooting; no injuries reported
A gunman opened fire at a Houston sushi restaurant, but nobody was injured thanks to a pair of quick-thinking MMA fighters, police said. One of those fighters? UFC standout Kevin Holland.
According to local reports, a panic alarm was triggered at RA Sushi in the Highland Park neighborhood of Houston when the shooting happened at around 11:30 p.m. on Monday night. Houston Police Department Sgt. Ricardo Salas said about 40 to 50 people were inside the restaurant when the suspect fired one shot in the bar area.
It was at that moment that Patrick Robinson, who trains in mixed martial arts, and Holland sprung into action.
“Next thing you know, you just hear a ‘pop’ and then everybody started getting down,” Robinson told Houston’s NBC-2 TV station. “Everybody started getting down. Next thing you know, me and my buddy, we ran to the shooter, got him down, strangled him, took the gun from him, and then called the police. Police came and got him.”
Police said a third customer assisted in holding down the suspect.
Robinson’s “buddy” was Holland, who declined to be interviewed by local media. Holland posted video of him and Robinson together outside of the restaurant on his Instagram story as police investigated the scene.
Holland appeared to be in good spirits.
“I laugh a lot even when things aren’t funny,” he wrote in his story. “I smile when I should frown. Super blessed and thankful to see today. Kiss ya kids, hug ya family and treat random people with care. You never know what a mfer may be going through.”
According to Houston’s NBC-2 TV station, police identified the suspect as a 24-year-old man, who is facing charges of possessing a stolen gun and discharge of a firearm. He had narcotics on him at the time of his arrest.
The suspect was wanted for failing to appear in court on a criminal mischief charge.
This incident marks the second time in six months that Holland, 29, has stopped criminal. Back in October, Holland chased down a suspected car thief and subdued him until police arrived.
Holland fought earlier this month at UFC 272 where he defeated Alex Oliveira by second-round TKO in his return to welterweight.