A man in Rio de Janeiro paid the price when he allegedly tried to rob UFC fighter Polyana Viana over the weekend.

Viana was waiting for an Uber outside her apartment on Saturday when a man demanding her phone approached with what turned out to be a fake gun. She aimed two punches and a kick at the would-be thief before putting him in a choke hold and waiting for police to arrive.

In an interview with Ben Church of CNN Sport, Viana said she knew ahead of time what she was going to do.

"When he got close, I already thought if this guy is a thief, I'll do this and that. I already knew what I was going to do," the 26-year-old said. "I did not do it on impulse, I was calm, I knew what I was going to do. But I only did it because I knew he did not have a gun."

A picture posted on UFC president Dana White's Instagram account showed the injuries caused to the man who allegedly tried to rob Viana.

Viana said she's been flooded with support since the incident, but cautioned people from following her lead if they find themselves in a similar situation.

"I would not recommend it at all," she said. "I'm a trained fighter. I knew how to defend myself because I have knowledge and more so because I managed to stay calm."