Photo By Staff Sgt. Tony Simmons | U.S. Marine Cpl. Gonzaloignacio S. Quintanilla Jr., a military policeman with 1st Law...... read more read more
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UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - U.S. Marine Cpl. Gonzaloignacio S. Quintanilla Jr., a military policeman deployed to the Central Command area of operations with 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central command, spends his free-time training to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter
All Marines are trained in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program, a structured hand-to-hand combat training program, to be more well-rounded warriors. Although every Marine is a fighter, some take their skills to the next level.
U.S. Marine Cpl. Gonzaloignacio S. Quintanilla Jr., a military policeman deployed to the Central Command area of operations with 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force – Crisis Response – Central command, spends his free-time training to become a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
Born and raised in Talofofo, Guam, he began training in mixed martial arts at the age of 12. He and his friends would gather after school to hone their skills.
“[Mixed martial arts] helped keep me out of trouble as a kid,” said Quintanilla. “Instead of going out and causing problems, I was at the gym or grappling with friends.”
He joined the wrestling team at Southern High School in Guam his sophomore year, and began working his way up to team captain.
When junior year arrived, tragedy struck.
A night of hanging out with friends after the Thanksgiving holiday break caused Quintanilla to get complacent with his safety. As he tiredly trudged to practice, he realized he’d forgotten some of his wrestling gear. He chose to practice without it.
“I was at practice and I didn’t bring my wrestling shoes,” said Quintanilla. “My toe got stuck under the mat while I was running and it fractured.”
His coach tried to help, but the effort caused his toe to fracture in a second place. The second fracture made it necessary for Quintanilla to have surgery, during which doctors placed pins in his foot.
“When the accident happened, it was a real setback,” said Quintanilla. “Cardio [workouts] became really difficult and it made me take a second look at a lot of things.”
After having the surgery, Quintanilla decided to find another path to follow. His father, who was his role-model, served in the U.S. Army and retired after 22 years of service.
“I always wanted to be like my father, so I began to look into enlisting in the military,” said Quintanilla.
A desire for a challenge brought him to a Marine Corps recruitment office in Guam, where he enlisted as a military policeman.
Although he has experienced difficulties trying to balance his military career and his passion for mixed martial arts, Quintanilla makes time to practice his techniques and train fellow Marines.
“I want to start getting back into it,” he said. “It’s difficult for me to train with my current battalion because of how often we are in the field, but I am going to take it slow and keep inching towards becoming a professional MMA fighter.”
To help better himself and his Marines, he enjoys training his peers in ju-jitsu and wrestling.
“He is not selfish with the skills he has,” said Lance Cpl. Joshua Gastelun, a military policeman with 1st Law Enforcement Battalion, SPMAGTF-CR-CC. “He believes one of the best ways to get better is teaching others, so he is always happy to invite me to go to the gym.”
“When training alone, it can be easy to forget some of the basics,” said Quintanilla. “But when you are training someone, you are constantly reminded of the fundamentals.”
Aside from having to make time to practice mixed martial arts on a deployed schedule, Quintanilla was presented with a new personal challenge.
In November of 2014, Quintanilla’s wife gave birth to his first child. Already deployed at the time, he knew he’d soon face even bigger obstacles with his family, work and mixed martial arts training all vying for his time.
“My son was born only a couple months into this deployment and it was really hard for me, but I knew I had to be tough,” said Quintanilla.
The dedicated warrior said he knows being a father will take a lot of his time, but will still try to make time to work on being a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
It takes a determined and dedicated person to balance one’s passion with personal and professional trials along the way.
“Since the day I met him in the school house, he has always been driven to achieve his dream,” said Gastelun. “The amount of passion and discipline he has from the sport reflects in his everyday actions at work and at the gym.”
Although finding a balance between raising a child, serving his country, and following the desire to be a professional mixed martial artist would be a trial for any man, Cpl. Quintanilla isn’t going down without a fight.
| Date Taken: | 03.30.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.05.2015 07:12 |
| Story ID: | 159154 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Hometown: | TALOFOFO, GU |
| Web Views: | 109 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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