A Houston Fuel Depot clerk successfully protected himself and a co-worker during an attempted robbery a while ago, thanks to his extensive martial arts background.
Mayura “Top Gun” Dissanayake, a skilled mixed martial artist from Sri Lanka with over a decade of training experience, was working behind the counter when he witnessed several men attack his colleague who was returning from a bank run.
Security camera footage captured the entire incident, showing Dissanayake rushing to his co-worker’s aid without hesitation.
“The first guy I saw, I just kicked him in the face,” explained Dissanayake. “Then I punched the other guy. We learn how to punch, how to kick and all that stuff you can use in the streets.”
The would-be robbers quickly realized they had chosen the wrong store to target. As they attempted to retreat to their SUV, Dissanayake managed to subdue one of the attackers. The man’s accomplices briefly considered returning to help their fallen partner but quickly abandoned that plan when they saw Dissanayake standing firm.
“I just kicked him until he lays down on the floor,” said Dissanayake. “Until he stopped moving cause I wasn’t sure if he had a knife or a gun so I wanted him to stop moving.”
Police later arrested 33-year-old Odell Mathis, charging him with robbery with bodily injury. Authorities believe Mathis may be connected to similar incidents in the area.
In the United States, Dissanayake trained with professional coaches and competed in India’s Super Fight League, where his bout against Mohammed Shahid at SFL 1 earned “fight of the night” honors.
When interviewed after the incident, Dissanayake shared his aspirations: “I want to make it to the UFC. That is my dream… the whole reason I moved to the states.”
UFC president Dana White, when asked about the incident by TMZ, simply stated, “I love it.”
While Dissanayake had one successful competition in the USA, he ultimately chose a different path. Instead of pursuing a career in martial arts, he focused on education and now serves his community as a firefighter/EMT with the Katy Fire Department in Texas.
Interestingly, his former opponent from SFL 1, Mohammad Shahid, went on to run BRAVE Combat Federation, a major martial arts organization.
