Man enters MMA gym with loaded gun - leaves in ambulance

Jacobe Powell knocks a bag containing a weapon out of suspect's hand and pins him down until police arrive

Defiant MMA & Fitness, where the incident took place. (Defiant MMA & Fitness/Facebook)

A man who walked into a mixed martial arts studio with a loaded gun ended up heading to hospital after he was "subdued by another male inside the facilty", police said.

Matthew Lloyd was carrying a “black messenger-style bag" as he entered Defiant MMA in Burbank, California.

It is unclear what his intentions were, but local media reported that police suspect the 30-year-old was about to attempt an armed robbery.

When police arrived at the scene, Lloyd was “being subdued by another male inside the facility."

Lightweight MMA fighter Jacobe Powell, knocked a bag containing a gun out of the suspect's hand and pinned him down until officers arrived to take him into custody, Burbank Police said in a statement.

“In order to protect himself, the instructor used martial arts techniques to control and subdue the suspect until police arrived,” they added. “It was learned the suspect was in fact armed with a loaded handgun, which was inside the messenger bag.”

No shots were fired within the gym.

Burbank PD has not filed charges against Lloyd, but the spokesperson said the case will be forwarded to the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office.