Fajita Fight Night Exists in San Antonio Because of Weird Texas Loophole

(San Antonio, Texas) - I am not a fighter. I've only been in a couple of fights in my entire life. In today's environment, it doesn't take much to come away from a fight with a criminal charge or two. So yeah, it would be better to work out your differences in another way.

But what if I told you that there is a way to fight someone in Texas that is completely legal? There is. It's called "mutual combat" and a dude in San Antonio uses it to host a controlled fight night in his backyard. We're not saying you should do the same but it is an interesting concept.

Fajita Fight Night in San Antonio

His name is Julian Torres (mysanantonio.com). He hosts a multitude of gentlemen in his backyard for Fajita Fight Night. His nickname is Fajita hence the name of the event. He uses the "mutual combat" loophole to conduct his fight nights.

He started this event when two of his friends wanted to duke it out in the streets. Instead, he offered to have them fight in a controlled environment wearing boxing gloves. He felt this would be safer than an all-out street brawl.

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The Popularity of Fajita Fight Night

Since that first event, Torres' fight nights have grown in popularity. The rules are simple, wear boxing gloves and fight until the first man falls. If neither man falls, the fight is ended after three rounds and a decision is made.

These fights have ranged from two guys wanting to settle their beef to two guys who just want to blow off some steam. It's safe and is perfectly legal.

What is Mutual Combat?

To put it simply, if you and the person you want to fight both agree to the altercation, no matter the outcome, neither party can file charges nor will either party be arrested or spend any time in jail. However, if a weapon is introduced during this fight, or one party is severely injured, or even killed, then the statute is null and void and charges will be filed and an arrest will be made.

Texas is not the only state that allows mutual combat, Washington state, of all places, allows mutual combat as well. It's a lot of legal speak but below is Section 22.06 of the Texas Penal Code:

Sec. 22.06. CONSENT AS DEFENSE TO ASSAULTIVE CONDUCT. (a) The victim's effective consent or the actor's reasonable belief that the victim consented to the actor's conduct is a defense to prosecution under Section 22.01 (Assault), 22.02 (Aggravated Assault), or 22.05 (Deadly Conduct) if:

(1) the conduct did not threaten or inflict serious bodily injury; or

(2) the victim knew the conduct was a risk of:

(A) his occupation;

(B) recognized medical treatment; or

(C) a scientific experiment conducted by recognized methods.

(b) The defense to prosecution provided by Subsection (a) is not available to a defendant who commits an offense described by Subsection (a) as a condition of the defendant's or the victim's initiation or continued membership in a criminal street gang, as defined by Section 71.01.

This was Even Brought Up on TikTok. (Warning: Language is Not Safe for Work)

@advicenottakenpod Mutual Combat in Texas @thejamiekilstein #texas #mutualcombat #drmikesimpson #jamiekilstein #austin #comedian #casabamelon ♬ original sound - Podcast by Jamie Kilstein

To further prove that this is Texas law, KSAT in San Antonio reached out to the San Antonio Police Department and got this response from their spokesman:

...mutual combat is just a fight and during that fight, if someone introduces a weapon that’s when use of force laws enter in. Most of the time it’s an argument that both parties agree to turn physical.

KSAT then followed up with the question of if someone were to file charges after the fact and got this response:

...they are not able to do it.

Homicide will not file a case on mutual combat just because one party wants to — as well as the fact that mutual combat is a Class C Misdemeanor and handled by the municipal court. In which most cases, if one party goes to press charges, the court files on both parties.

Doesn't Make Fighting Right

In no way are we condoning any kind of violence against a fellow East Texan. But if (I always intend my puns) push comes to shove, as long as both of you agree to the fight without the intent of causing major injuries or death, you can legally fight without receiving charges in Texas.

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