What is mutual combat?
Self-defense presumes an unlawful attack you didn't consent to. Where both people voluntarily entered a fight, that premise collapses, and the State will argue neither was defending anything.
What supports a mutual combat characterization: agreeing to fight, stepping outside, both parties advancing, an absence of any attempt to disengage, and statements before or after suggesting willingness.
Where it can be rebutted: evidence you attempted to withdraw, a significant disparity in force where one person escalated, or facts showing the other person's conduct went beyond what was consented to.
Florida law also addresses the situation where the initial aggressor may regain the right to use defensive force — generally where they withdraw and communicate that withdrawal, and the other person continues.
That withdrawal point is worth understanding, because it converts a mutual fight into a defensive one. Whether it happened, and whether it was communicated, are fact questions that turn on witnesses and video.
Whether you tried to walk away, and whether anyone saw it, may decide this. ---
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