Michael Jackson once told Paul McCartney in a song that he’s “a lover not a fighter,” but an MJ impersonator in Las Vegas obviously doesn’t share that sentiment.
The impersonator, appropriately named Santana Jackson, saw that a man looked like he “Wanna be startin’ somethin’.” Therefore, it was “Human Nature” for the street entertainer to make the drunken man “Beat It.”
Thriller album references aside, someone was recording Santana Jackson while he performed his best MJ dance moves. Suddenly, an unidentified man came along who apparently thought he’d found an easy target to beat down.
The man, whose swings make him appear intoxicated, found out very quickly that the impersonator had quick hands to go along with his nimble legs.
Santana Jackson, who says he’s trained in mixed martial arts, quickly sized up his attacker in downtown Vegas and took him to the ground.
After they wrestled on the ground for a spell, Jackson incapacitated the man by putting him in a headlock before bystanders rescued the poor man by breaking up the fight.
Hilariously, after the man picked himself off the ground, he made a fighting gesture before walking off.
Santana Jackson later reposted the video on his Instagram page to explain why he didn’t just pummel the man into the pavement. The drunken man is probably thanking the impersonator for his restraint at this very moment.
“That’s why I train. I’m not trying to hurt this guy just trying to restrain him from swinging at me,” Santana Jackson told his IG followers.
“So I was performing and this guy came out of nowhere and started hitting me so I have to put him down for his own good,” the impersonator continued. “Please know I don’t think fighting is the answer so try to avoid a fight if u can. Stay safe.”
The video went viral nationwide and inspired scores of jokes that referenced the King of Pop’s music. Take a look at the video of the skirmish and then flip the page to view a sampling of the memes and jokes born from the episode.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4vviS1_DDE
