UFC fighter Kevin Holland says he used rear-naked choke to subdue Houston restaurant shooter

UFC fighter Kevin Holland says he helped apprehend a man who shot a gun off at a Houston restaurant Monday night.

Holland told ESPN on Tuesday that he was eating sushi with his friend, Patrick Robinson, when he heard a loud bang and saw people running away in fear. Holland said he and Robinson saw another man try to wrestle the gun away from the shooter, so Holland and Robinson approached to help disarm the man and detain him until police arrived.

«I wouldn't tell the next person to do it unless they're seriously trained for that type of situation,» Holland said. «Besides doing cage fighting, I train self-defense first and foremost. For me, that was the best way to defend myself at the moment. Plus, I like Batman.»

A Houston Police Department spokesman told ESPN that it is against policy to release the names of witnesses, so police could not confirm Holland's involvement. But Holland's account lines up with what the police have described.

According to a Houston PD spokesman, the suspect fired a gun into the air at the restaurant inside the Highland Village shopping center at around 11:30 p.m. Monday night. After the shot went off, the person sitting next to the gunman in the restaurant grabbed his hand, pointed the gun away and attempted to subdue him as officers were en route.

The suspected gunman has been identified as 24-year-old Jesus Samaniego, according to police. He faces charges of deadly conduct and unlawfully carrying a weapon

Holland said he didn't know a shot had been fired until he saw people running away.

«I was facing one way and then we he heard a big, loud bang,» Holland said. «I thought it was a champagne bottle popping, because the people behind us were having a birthday party. I go to look around and