Former MMA Fighter Recovering After Being Shot During Tulsa Armed Robbery

<p>A former MMA fighter who was shot during a recent armed robbery said it happened so fast, he only had time to act on instinct.</p>

Tuesday, March 15th 2016, 11:24 pm

By: News On 6

Former MMA Fighter Recovering After Being Shot During Tulsa Armed Robbery

A former MMA fighter who was shot during a recent armed robbery said it happened so fast, he only had time to act on instinct.

Mikey Burnett believes he's alive because of his son's quick actions and a great team of doctors.

The idea of a tough guy like Burnett having to use a walker just doesn't compute.

"I still want to get to the point I don't need it anymore," he said.

But he's lucky to be standing at all.

Burnett said, "It's extremely painful to walk but I'm blessed because I can."

He and his son were leaving a gym recently when a man asked Mikey to borrow his cell phone, then shoved a gun into Mikey's face. His instinct was to swat the gun away.

"When I turned and saw the gun, I was pretty certain he was going to shoot me already,” Burnett said. “That was just a feeling I had."

He was shot three times in his upper left leg and once in his right. It severed his artery, so surgeons had to cut into his leg in three places to make the repair.

Burnett’s a former amateur golden glove boxing champ, professional MMA fighter and was on the Ultimate Fighter reality show until he broke his neck.

Police say if he can't fight off a robber, no one should try.

"I don't think people should resist in that terrible manner, but at the same time, humans have to react. Because if he hadn't reacted to what his instincts are telling him, I wouldn't be here," Burnett said.

He's talking about his son Freddy's instinct to jump in and fight the two robbers. He got shot in the calf.

Burnett's glad police arrested the suspects but thinks it's sad they're only 16 and 17. He said this violent crime needs to stop.

"It's the world we live in, the part everybody has to wake up and realize,” Burnett said. “We gotta take care of each other because if we don't, we're in trouble."

Burnett said he's already forgiven the suspects and is now focusing on recovery, which is not going to be fast, but he's already ahead of what doctors predicted.