Photo By Cpl. Jonathan Boynes | Matt Hughes, a mixed martial artist, former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC...... read more read more
Subscribe
UNDISCLOSED LOCATION - The Department of Defense has a long history with the entertainment world. Dating back to World War II, celebrities and music shows were brought by the United Services Organization to troops on the front lines of combat.
This tradition is carried on today by other organizations, to include Armed Forces Entertainment, whose Summer Mixed Martial Arts tour came out to meet the Marines and Sailors of the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Central Command, August, 18, 2015 in Southwest Asia.
AFE is a Department of Defense agency that provides entertainment to U.S. service members around world. Comedians, professional athletes, and celebrities all volunteer their time and talent to provide demonstrations and performances to those serving abroad.
“Getting a chance to go around base and meet all of the service members has been really great so far,” said Jessamyn Duke, a mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship women’s Banta Weight Division, and one of the fighters featured in the event.
The recent tour brought UFC MMA fighters out to visit at one of the SPMAGTF-CR-CC’s forward postured basing locations in the Middle East. This stop was one of many for the tour, as they travel internationally meeting thousands of deployed servicemembers.
“It’s easy to forget that people are deployed. You don’t realize that there are so many troops making huge sacrifices daily for everyone back home. Being over here is really eye opening and puts a lot of things in perspective for me.”
Matt Hughes, Shayna Baszler, Tyson Griffin, and Matt Richman were the other fighters attending the tour. During the event, Marine Corps, Navy, and Army personnel got the chance to watch legends of the MMA sport demonstrate techniques and open up during a town hall session. Arguably, the highlight of the clinic was the sparring portion where service members got the chance to test their grappling skills against the pros.
Mike Richman, a former Marine sergeant who served three tours in Iraq with 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Charlie Company and now a professional MMA fighter, said that being able to reconnect with Marines and other service members was a refreshing experience and served to remind him of the value of service and the importance of supporting the troops.
“Coming out here and getting a chance to meet all of the troops and reconnect with the Marine Corps meant a lot to me and I hope that my presence helped to boost morale. After being deployed for so long when you’re away from your family in the states, things become monotonous and boredom begins to set in. When we make visits and do tours like this, it helps to breathe new life into some of the troops and it revitalizes their spirits.”
Excitement, laughter, and competition filled the night. Both the fighters and troops got a chance to connect with a group and a way of life that, prior to the clinic, had only had been accessible, and understood, through television or the internet.
Matt Hughes, a mixed martial artist, former two-time UFC Welterweight Champion and UFC Hall of Fame inductee, said that the great reception by the base’s command and enthusiasm from the troops left him feeling humbled by the their presence and confident in their ability to protect the nation.
“Giving my support to the troops is the whole reason why I am here,” said Hughes. “They are warfighters defending our freedoms at the cost of their lives, and I don’t think that you can compare their experiences to anything else out there.”
The remainder of the AEF summer tour is scheduled to take place on military installations throughout Southwest Asia.
| Date Taken: | 08.18.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2015 13:16 |
| Story ID: | 174563 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 163 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, SPMAGTF-CR-CC Marines host UFC MMA Fighters, by Cpl Jonathan Boynes, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
No keywords found.
LEAVE A COMMENT