MMA legend Enson Inoue recounts his brush with a shoplifter at his Honolulu store

When a young man tried to shoplift from Enson Inoue’s store, he clearly had no idea who he was messing with.

Inoue, a former Shooto heavyweight champion and UFC and PRIDE veteran, has thrown down with some of the most notable names in the sport, including Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Now retired, the Hawaii native owns a Honolulu store, Destiny Forever LLC, which sells custom-made jewelry.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the rules of the store require you to book an appointment prior to visiting. So, when a man decided to visit Inoue’s store last week without an appointment, Inoue instantly knew something was amiss.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Inoue explained that the man flouted the building’s rules by not wanting to wear a mask. The visitor’s rebellious attitude raised alarm bells and, a few moments later, Inoue noticed he had stolen an item. The former fighter wasn’t about to let him get away with it, however.

A guy just tried to steal a money clip from my store. I chased him out and when he got down the street he yelled threats back at me like how he’s going to come back and cut me up! Lord help him if he comes back. He better kill me before I get my hands on him. pic.twitter.com/fQ3gFI7D7u

— Enson Inoue (@ensoninoue) November 22, 2020

“He started walking around the shop, and I kinda got a little upset, and I said you gotta get out of the shop, man,” Inoue explained. “And then when he turned, I saw in his hand it was a flash of the money clip and if you notice, I actually did try and grab him once and he kinda ran away.

“I’m glad I didn’t get a hold of him because he probably would have struggled and it would have escalated somewhere that I wouldn’t want it to escalate, so I guess it worked out for the good. He didn’t get away with the money clip, I’m not getting any charges pressed on me.”

But the shoplifter wasn’t smart enough to just walk away. Instead, he decided to jaw at Inoue on the way out, and even threatened the MMA veteran.

“I escorted him out of the building and then when he left and he got far away, he turned around and started cussing at me and told me that he’s gonna come back and cut me up,” Inoue said. “So I even hesitated on going and getting him right there and grabbing him and the thought went through my mind, I had customers coming, and I just didn’t think it was worth it. But if I do see him back at the shop, it will be a very different energy level that I’m gonna produce towards him.”