Photo By Sgt. Tyler Vernaza | Edward Dahlen, front left, and Tom Lawlor, mixed martial arts fighters, show Marines...... read more read more
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CAMP HANSEN, Japan - Seven professional mixed martial arts fighters visited several camps aboard Okinawa Jan. 14 to 19 to show Marines hand-to-hand fighting and ground fighting techniques.
Assembled by former U.S. Marine and active jiu-jitsu competitor Kurt Shrout, the notable group of MMA fighters included Eben Kaneshiro, Edward Dahlen III, Ultimate Fighting Championship fighters Dustin Poirier, Nate Quarry and Tom Lawlor, and grappling champion, Joao Assis. Both Lawlor and Quarry were competitors in SpikeTV’s “Ultimate Fighter” television series. Lawlor appeared in the eighth season, while Quarry was a member of the show’s first season.
The purpose of the “MMA Fighters to Fighters tour” is to show support to the military, according to Quarry.
“The goal of the tour was simply to show our appreciation to our service members by teaching them a little about what we do best,” he said. “I have been fighting for 12 years and my favorite thing about participating in mixed martial arts is the competition and the fight. That’s when you see who someone really is, which you don’t really see anywhere else except for in the military.”
The fighters visited several military installations around the island, sharing their experiences competing in mixed martial arts.
The fighters also demonstrated several techniques to the audience, signed autographs and took photos with the participants.
“I think it was awesome,” said Staff Sgt. Paul Baio, company gunnery sergeant, Headquarters Company, Maintenance Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 35, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force. “They came out on their own time to share their experiences, and let the Marines get some one-on-one time with fighters they see on television.”
| Date Taken: | 01.28.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 02.03.2011 01:40 |
| Story ID: | 64699 |
| Location: | CAMP HANSEN, OKINAWA, JP |
| Web Views: | 100 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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