A man who picked a fight with a Penang convenience store owner bit off more than he could chew as his opponent happened to be a taekwondo black belt.

He was beaten three times despite once going for a sneak attack from the back with a helmet.

A video of the one-sided beatdown has since gone viral after being circulated online.

One version shared to Facebook by user Ary Aery on Jun. 5, has been watched over 8.1 million times.

The fight

In the video, a man in a white singlet and jeans can be shown putting his helmet down on the counter before challenging the shopkeeper to a "one-on-one".

It was unknown what prompted this challenge, but the shopkeeper obliged.

The fight, however, lasted barely a few seconds, with the man dropping to the floor from a flurry of punches.

"Be a gentleman," the shopkeeper said, "One by one".

He replaced a bag of rice which had fallen in the scuffle and told the man, "Whoever loses, go out of the store."

Another man in blue, who seemed to have accompanied the challenger into the store, was watching from the sidelines.

Undeterred, the fallen man got up for another round, which produced a similar result.

Subsequently, the shopkeeper went outside to settle some matters, but the man wasn't done.

He got up and grabbed a motorcycle helmet to try to assault the shopkeeper from behind.

Which led to him getting swiftly knocked out:

Shopkeeper an ex-Penang champion in taekwondo

The shopkeeper, surnamed Wu (transliteration), told China Press that he has a black belt in taekwondo

He explained that he started learning taekwondo at the age of 17 and had even won a 1996 championship held in Penang.

Wu added that he had previously taught taekwondo classes as a substitute for a local coach.

"But though the coach suggested that I become one myself, I gave up on the idea as I was too busy managing my family's convenience store business," Wu said.

Following the incident at the store, he also lodged a police report.

Men arrested by Penang police

Penang police have since arrested two men, who are in their 30s and 40s, over the convenience store scuffle, Malaysian media reported.

Seberang Perai Tengah police chief Helmi Aris confirmed that the fight happened at around 11:50pm on Jun. 2.

He said that a salesperson at the premises was approached by two men, one of whom "requested alcohol from him".

“A misunderstanding then happened, which escalated into a fight between the two parties. One of the individuals used a helmet to strike the other’s back outside the premises,” he added.

Helmi said one of the men involved sustained minor injuries to the face while the other was unharmed.

Top image from Ary Aery/Facebook & NationalArtGallery/Reddit