The amateur MMA fighter who was praised by social media users for the way he calmly defended himself during a street fight has spoken out about what happened, revealing that he had actually stepped in to stop a 'brutal' physical argument between two other people.
Aussie MMA fighter Viktor Lyall, 32, was recently forced to 'intervene' when he saw someone being attacked in an alleyway in Brisbane, Queensland.
Footage of the incident went viral as people praised him for his 'patience' while defending himself calmly.
Lyall, who is is the third-ranked amateur welterweight mixed martial artist, has now also posted an aerial view of the incident, saying he had a 'couple of things' he wanted to clear up.
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WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC FOOTAGE
He explained: "I intervened to help someone who was getting bashed.
"As they're identifiable, I hope people can also respect the privacy of the aggressors and not ruin their livelihoods or whatever they do.
"Although the two males were together beating someone brutally, it was stopped. That video going viral is probably (hopefully) enough punishment for them. Plz don't harass.
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"Ultimately to me it was just a bit of a tif, they got plowed on. It happens lol. It’s good nobody got hurt."
Lyall said he had been inundated by questions about his defence technique, both physically and mentally.
He continued: "I've been getting heaps of messages asking for a technical analysis from a martial arts/self defence perspective - as well as an explanation of how I remained calm, and the psychological elements of fear and anxiety and such.
"I actually have quite a lot of experience in these situations from my background. A lot is going on in the video, and I would like to talk about it if it helps anyone. So if anyone has or knows a good platform, let me know!"
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In the now viral video, the fighter can be seen calmly squaring up to the two men, even when one threatened him with a plastic chair.
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"He's not touching you," the person filming says.
"I've got it all on video."
A woman tells Lyall that her father is a bodybuilder who could easily 'f**king flatten' him, but at no point does he move unless it's in self defence.
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Thankfully, the calm approach eventually worked and it wasn't long before the two men and their female friend gave up on the confrontation.
Commending Lyall's approach, one person wrote: "Most patient human award goes to him."
Striking technique analyst Lawrence Kenshin of Striking Breakdowns also said the clip was the 'best self defence video' he's seen in a long time.
"They turn on him and constantly try to find an opportunity to sucker punch," Kenshin wrote on Instagram.
"With his experience in MMA and security industry, he keeps constant awareness of not being surrounded and punched from a blind spot.
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"They follow him with constant threats, and after a warning shot they engage. Wrong person to pick on."
Jess Hardiman