Former UFC and Pride FC fighter Guy Mezger, a big name in the early days of mixed martial arts, is back in the headlines after disarming a knife-wielding attacker.

Mezger was walking across a parking lot outside a shopping center in his home city when he saw a man beating a woman severely.

He intervened and the man then pulled a knife out and attacked him with it. Mezger sustained some severe hand injuries dealing with the knife, but was successful in disarming and neutralising the attacker.

The incident was relayed by longtime MMA radio host Bob Carson, host of the Carson Corner, who wrote on The Underground:

“First of all Guy is okay, although he suffered some serious wounding to his hand from the knife. I don't want to worry anyone with the thread title.

“HOWEVER, the guy who tried to use the knife on him is much worse off, with multiple broken facial and arm bones from getting his ass literally kicked around a mall parking lot where Guy found him attacking a woman!

“Guy intervened in a public assault and got a knife pulled on him. The knife-puller got beaten half to death by the former King of Pancrase in return, and when the cops showed up it turned out he was on parole for some pretty serious charges.”

Mezger made his MMA debut at UFC 4 back in 1994, long before the Zuffa era and a time when it was still ‘no rules’ competition. He went on to compete for Pancrase and Pride FC before retiring in 2006 with a 30-14-2 record which includes wins over Tito Ortiz and Semmy Schilt.