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Two MMA fighters are being hailed as heroes this week after they sprung to action when a gunman fired his gun inside a popular Houston restaurant on Monday night, and for one of the MMA fighters, this wasn't his first time stepping up and taking on a criminal.

At around 11:30 p.m. on Monday night, Houston Police received a panic alarm call along with several calls by citizens alerting them of a shooting at a restaurant called RA Sushi. By the time officers arrived at the restaurant two MMA fighters had already taken the suspect into custody.

According to KHOU, the two fighters heard the gun shot and sprung into action, tackling the suspect and taking away his gun.

"We were pretty much eating and the next thing you know, you just hear a pop," said Patrick Robinson, one of the fighters that tackled the suspect. "Me and my buddy, we ran to the shooter ... got him down, strangled him, took the gun from him ... called the police and they got him."

Robinson said mixed martial arts skills helped them spring into action before the shooting got worse.

"We fight for a living, so it was just quick instincts," Robinson said.

According to Houston Police, around 40-50 people were inside the restaurant. The shooter fired his gun into the air and the bullet hit the ceiling. No one was injured. It was reported to KHOU that the other MMA fighter was Kevin Holland who chased down a suspected car thief in October.

Houston Police haven't released much information about the 24 year old suspect or why he fired a gun, though police did find drugs on him and believed he could have been high. He was charged with possession of a stolen gun and illegally discharging the firearm.

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