Last week Mark Groves, 45, was jailed for 27 months by Teesside Crown Court in England after he admitting robbing an 83-year-old woman in a brazen daylight mugging. Groves was apprehended for this offense thanks to an amateur MMA fighter who happened to be on the scene at the time of the incident.

Metro.co.uk reports that Macauley Peckitt, 22, was walking his dog with his girlfriend in Guisborough, North Yorkshire, in February when he noticed an elderly woman in distress. Peckitt told Metro that he saw a ‘shady looking character’ near her and that he instantly knew something criminal had occurred.

As Peckitt got closer to the pair he heard the woman shouting for assistance and the robber, now identified as Groves, running away with the woman’s handbag. On seeing this Peckitt handed his dog’s leash over to his girlfriend and took off after Groves.

“I chased him for about 100m, kicked his legs and jumped on his back,” said Groves. “I got him in a hold called a rear naked choke.”

Peckitt said he held Groves and warned him not to reach for his pockets, otherwise he would “put him to sleep.” Peckitt said he held the choke firmly, but at no point did he prevent Groves from being able to breathe.

The incident occurred close to Guisborough Police Station, so officers arrived on the scene within a couple of minutes. They took Groves into custody without further incident. The 83-year-old victim was unhurt after the attack, but was shaken up by the ordeal.

A week after the incident Peckitt competed in his fourth amateur MMA fight. In that contest he defeated fellow featherweight Reece Drummond by arm bar in the first round. The win took his overall amateur record to 4-0.

Peckitt, who works as an electro-mechanical engineer and trains at Middlesbrough Jiu Jitsu and Vale Tudo Club, is now hoping to become a professional MMA fighter.

But in the meantime he adds his name to the growing list of fighters who have tackled and otherwise halted criminals on the street (see Jon Jones and Renzo Gracie).