LAS VEGAS – Growing up in Bend, Oregon, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Murphy dreamed of fighting in the ring in front of cheering fans. This past summer, Murphy’s dream came true when he stepped into the ring to face Akili Bean in an amateur lightweight mixed martial arts fight at the Grand Sierra Resort.
Murphy, a squad leader in the Nevada Army Guard’s 485th Military Police Company, won by unanimous decision after three, hard-fought rounds.
Murphy’s journey into MMA began as a wrestler in high school. He won 12 tournaments and still holds his high school record for most wins, 33 - in a single season.
Murphy went on to become the head wrestling coach at Summit High in Bend, Oregon. His love of competition drove him to practice judo, which eventually led him to train in mixed martial arts, he said.
“More than anything, I enjoy that MMA is a one-on-one sport in which you and your teammates push each other during training in order to prepare for individual success,” Murphy said.
Murphy joined the Nevada Army Guard in 2007 as a military police officer and deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 with the 485th.
“I was a very successful wrestler. I won three company-level combatives tournaments and one all-uniformed-services combatives tournament in Afghanistan,” Murphy said. “I also won gold at the Charles Gracie Invitational Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tournament in Lathrop, California.”
Murphy credits military combatives and training as a noncommissioned officer for increasing his drive to participate outside military competitions and for his success inside the ring.
“After deployment, I started training at the Charles Gracie Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy under Gary Grate,” Murphy said. “I always had an interest in MMA and finally approached my instructor and joined the Tonkin Fighting Team in addition to BJJ training.”
Murphy trains two to three times a week in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai kickboxing, and at least once a week in MMA, he said. He dropped almost 15 pounds of weight to qualify for the lightweight division for his first MMA fight, a move that cost him energy and stamina − and could have cost him the win.
“It definitely took a toll on how quickly I became fatigued,” Murphy said. “I don’t regret cutting weight, but I should not have dehydrated myself for so long. That was my choice and it was a bad one.”
Murphy’s wife, Madison, has been by his side during his long journey to the MMA ring, nursing her husband’s bumps and bruises along the way.
“I really hate watching him get injured. What is worse is knowing I can’t do anything to help,” Madison said. “I always take care of him, but I also take advantage of his injuries too. It is one of the few times I can actually beat him in a play fight.”
Many of Murphy’s fellow Guard members showed up at the fight to support and cheer on their fellow Soldier.
“Watching Murph in his first ever WFC fight was an awesome experience,” said Staff Sgt. Savannah Ellis, with the Nevada Guard Joint Force Headquarters and coworker of Murphy’s. “It was important to support him because he’s been such a good friend to me and my family. He’s just a great guy and a great Soldier. Way to go Murph!”
The crowd’s cheering and energy helped him throughout the fight, Murphy said.
“I was not just fighting for me.” Murphy said. “I was fighting for my brothers and sisters in the audience. I desperately did not want to let anyone down. To hear them in the audience gave me strength when I otherwise may not have had enough.”
Murphy finished the fight with two black eyes, a deep cut on his head and many other small scrapes and scratches across his body. He said it felt like a challenging workout, but he was no worse for wear and started training again almost immediately. His next fight is scheduled for sometime in early autumn.
“I feel fantastic! I also feel relieved, proud and humbled to have had the chance to fight in that setting with so many accomplished fighters. Let’s say I feel better than I look though,” Murphy said laughing.
| Date Taken: | 06.27.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 01.08.2016 14:59 |
| Story ID: | 185918 |
| Location: | LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, US |
| Hometown: | BEND, OREGON, US |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Soldier's future looks bright, despite being black and blue post fight, by SGT Michael Orton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
