In 2011 in Tennessee, an off-duty Memphis Area Transit Authority security guard received complaints that a man was harassing women outside the bus terminal on Main Street. When he went to investigate, a fight broke out.
What Happened
What unfolded was apparent from the outset. The guard has his hands up, weight set properly just slightly forward, and is distance managing. The man in a white tee, whose name is Morgan Turner, has his hands guarding his hip bones, in a flat-footed stance, and attacks with sort of a baseball pitch punch, with no setup.
Sucker punching works great against someone looking the other other way. Against a trained fighter, it’s naked, and Turner gets hit in the face for his efforts.
The security guard is remarkably composed, constantly moving his head via footwork and or slipping, while he aggressively moves forward, ably defending, and as well attacking with combinations from angles. The guard uses punches, knees, and kicks, to the face, body, and legs, all the while defending well.
Turner initially appears utterly overwhelmed, and may well have his eyes closed, as he throws wild looping shots while backing up. Eventually, he separates, uses his feet to distance manage, and tries another looping, naked shot; that gets him smacked in the face yet again.
The scrap lasted approximately 30 seconds, until another security officer broke it up.
The Aftermath
The MATA officer, who is known to his friends as “Karate”, was reassigned to a new location.
Turner was detained but eventually released with no charges filed. Shortly after the incident, he said he won, and asked for a rematch. Obviously, winners don’t ask for rematches.
The last report on Turner comes from 2017, when he was arrested and charged with burglarizing a Taco Bell, Joe’s Liquor, and CK’s Coffee.
The Lesson
The guard is so calm and composed, and his offense and defense is so crisp, that it’s easy to miss what really happened. Despite having no discernible technique, Turner was able to hold his own to some degree, and may even have landed some glancing blows. Turner lost the round 10-9, but was not devastated, at all.
The scrap illustrates the necessity of knowing how to grapple, in addition to knowing how to strike. Standing and trading punches, even with someone who possesses far less skills, is no guarantee of success. By contrast, grappling with someone who possesses far less skills is much safer, and will characteristically have a less ambiguous outcome.