Ultimate fighters step into the war zone

Photo By Sgt. Marcus Gable | Spc. Erin Barnes, a supply specialist with Headquarters Platoon, 642 Engineer Co., 20th Engineer Battalion, 1169th Group, and native of Grass Valley, Calif., and fellow Soldiers have their photo taken with Tito Ortiz and Justin McCully. Both Ortiz and McCully are mixed martial arts fighters with Ultimate Fighting Championship. They started out their tour by visiting injured service members in Washington, D.C. and are now visiting troops in Iraq.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

08.01.2007

Story by Pfc. Marcus Gable 

7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

By Pfc. Benjamin Gable
7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq – Ultimate Fighting Championship warriors stopped by the Pegasus Moral, Welfare and Recreational center July 31 to sign autographs and visit Soldiers during their latest tour in support of deployed troops.

Team Punishment founder, Tito Ortiz, is a former light-heavyweight champion. "The Huntington Beach Bad Boy" stands at 6 feet 2 inches, and weighs 205 pounds. His fighting styles include wrestling, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai.

Justin McCully, nicknamed "The Insane 1," is a member of the Team Punishment camp with Ortiz. He holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and trains with Ortiz. The 6-foot-2-inch, 235 pound McCully will make his return to the octagon (the fighting ring) at "UFC 76" in Anaheim, Calif., Sept. 22.

Ortiz and McCully are touring the globe meeting with Soldiers. Their first stop was in Washington, D.C., where they met wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Now, they have made their way to Iraq to visit Soldiers in a war zone.

"I am tremendously excited about going overseas with the USO," said Ortiz, before heading to Iraq. "The men and women on duty in the Persian Gulf are literally on the front lines, and I'll do whatever I can to show them how much their service means to everyone back home."

Soldiers stood in line for hours for their chance to get an autographed picture, and maybe even to "size-up" the ultimate fighters.

"I just became a fan of UFC," said Spc. Erin Barnes, a supply specialist with Headquarters Platoon, 642nd Engineer Company, 20th Engineer Battalion, 1169th Group. "Tito is already my favorite."

Ortiz and McCully took time to visit with Soldiers and wish them well. Ortiz thanked them for their service to their country and promised to bring more members of Team Punishment on their next visit.

• Date Taken: 08.01.2007
• Date Posted: 08.01.2007 16:22
• Story ID: 11578
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ