A professional Muay Thai fighter stepped in to protect two young women during a road rage incident on Queensland's Bruce Highway, leaving the aggressive driver red-faced when he realized who he was dealing with.
Ryan McDonald, a 19-year-old Brisbane-based fighter, was returning from a camping trip in Noosa with friends on Sunday when he witnessed a man in a white van threatening two women. The van had repeatedly blocked a young woman from merging into the left lane, then cut in front of her as traffic built up, before jumping out and attempting to open her driver's side door.
Fighter's instinct to help
McDonald said he saw the women alone in their car and felt compelled to act. "He jumped out of the car in the middle of the highway, and there are these two girls on their own in the car," McDonald said. "I was thinking this would be a good opportunity to help, to use what I know and help these girls, and to try and de-escalate the situation."
He exited his own car and asked the man what he was doing. The van driver immediately tried to start a fight, taking off his shirt and issuing a warning. "The guy said, 'You sure you want this?' and I said, 'Yeah, yeah I do'. He said I didn't know who I was messing with," McDonald recounted.
A professional reputation
What the van driver didn't know was that McDonald is a professional fighter with eight career victories, four of them knockouts. McDonald remained calm throughout the confrontation, saying, "I was pretty calm the whole time. I didn't try and pose a threat or make myself look big (but) he was trying to be threatening."
Other motorists came to assist, with one recognizing McDonald from his online presence and warning the van driver he was about to fight a professional. The van driver responded, "show me how professional you are then," and claimed McDonald couldn't fight outside the gym without ruining his reputation.
Viral dashcam footage
The van driver eventually backed down and returned to his vehicle. The incident was captured on dashcam and posted to social media, where it has amassed almost two million views and widespread support for McDonald.
"It was the best possible outcome, just de-escalating the situation. Everyone got home safe that day," McDonald said. Police confirmed no charges have been laid over the incident.
