A suspected sex attacker was swiftly subdued by a champion martial artist in central London on Friday night after he allegedly assaulted a 14-year-old girl.
Chaos in Moorgate as Suspect Targets Teenager
The incident unfolded at around 9pm in the busy Moorgate area. According to witnesses, the suspect, who was heard shouting in a foreign language, allegedly grabbed the teenage victim's behind as she was travelling home. Two brave teenage boys then challenged the man, leading the suspect to attempt to swing a punch at them and give chase.
It was at this moment that Ivan Skoko, a 29-year-old Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and champion, entered the scene. The 6ft3 coach, who had just finished a training seminar at a local gym, saw the commotion and crossed the street to help. "I could see young people screaming around a guy," Skoko told the Daily Mail. "I realised the girl, she was only 14, was saying 'this man grabbed my ass'."
Champion's Takedown Ends the Threat
Skoko, a Croatian-born fighter who runs classes at Fight City Gym in Elephant and Castle, decided to wait and assess the situation. When he saw the suspect swinging at the two boys, he sprang into action. "I took my headphones off and thought 'let's just take this guy down'," he said.
Asking an onlooker to record, Skoko used a precise leg sweep to take the suspect to the ground before using his knees to restrain him. The technique was instantly effective, causing the man to stop resisting. City of London Police officers arrived shortly afterwards to arrest the suspect, who was seen wearing a black hooded jacket and trying to wriggle free.
A Fighter's Mission for Public Safety
This is not the first time Ivan Skoko has intervened in a criminal act in recent weeks. Just over a month ago, he tackled a suspected pickpocket armed with a hammer at Borough Station. Reflecting on the latest incident, Skoko expressed his concern: "Things are getting terrible here. I don't know how to sort this problem. I can't deal with this every day."
In response, he is launching an online self-defence course called 'Primitive Jiu-Jitsu' in seven days. The aim is to give people of any ability the methods to defend themselves safely. "Regular people will be able to defend themselves in the same way that I did," Skoko explained.
The martial artist is in top competitive form, having won the British Open 2025, NAGA London 2025, and the IBJJF London Fall Open 2025 in the black belt adult division this year alone. City of London Police was contacted for comment on the arrest.
