Military MMA links: Brandon Sayles video, Herschel Walker visit, Marine boxers win
February 10th, 2012 | Army Boxing Combatives Football Marine Corps Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Kevin Lilley
For those of you sick of the latest service academy basketball news (either here or here), try these combatives links:
Army (Superheavyweight) Strong: Staff Sgt. Brandon Sayles gets a nice video treatment from the folks at HDNet before his fight tonight at XFC 16:
Sayles, a three-time Army Combatives Championship winner, will face Chase Gormley live on HDNet; the fights start at 10 p.m. ET. Also on the card is former Marine Dustin West — check out an XFC news release on his work with the Wounded Warrior Project here. Not sure if you get HDNet? Click the “subscribe” tab here.
Football legend stops by: Herschel Walker is known for many things — a college football career that ranks among the best ever, his time as the face of the now-defunct USFL, the famous trade that sent him to Minnesota and helped create a Dallas dynasty (How famous? This famous), and a 2-0 record as a Strikeforce heavyweight as he rushes head-on toward age 50.
He’s also known for going public with his battle against Dissociative Identity Disorder. Multiple personalities may not be at the top of the priority list for military medicine, but mental health issues are. That’s why Walker’s message during his recent visit with soldiers and families at Fort Bliss, Texas, is so important. Staff Sgt Casey J. McGeorge, who wrote this release about the visit, put it best: “There is no shame in seeking help.”
Walker, who turns 50 in March, may have one more fight left in him, according to an SB Nation report citing a recent interview in a magazine After Action only reads for the articles.
Marines take gold: OK, the arts aren’t exactly “mixed,” but it’s big news anyway — the Marine Corps ended Army’s two-decade win streak at the Armed Forces Boxing Championship at Camp Pendleton, Calif., earlier this month. Click the previous link to read about Marine Sgt. DeJesus Gardner’s gutty performance in the 201-pound weight class to clinch the overall win, and get the Army write-up here.
Tweets earn Tim Kennedy a cool $5K
February 8th, 2012 | Army Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
We all wish our employers rewarded us monetarily for wasting time on using Twitter. Turns out the UFC actually does.
Yesterday the UFC — whose parent company also owns Strikeforce — announced bonuses for its top tweeters, and Army Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy was among the big winners.
Kennedy, a Special Forces soldier currently serving in the Texas National Guard, earned $5,000 in the “most creative” category, according to MMAJunkie.com.
Here’s some recent tweeting excellence from Kennedy’s account, which must include more non-sarcastic references to small arms and gardening than any other account on the planet:
Tim Kennedy: Stars Wars fan and Puzzlemaster:
If I was Kennedy’s neighbor I’d take care of my yard:
Friday military MMA links
January 27th, 2012 | Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Kevin Lilley
UFC middleweight and former soldier Jorge Rivera wrapped up his MMA career last week with a victory at UFC on FX. (Getty Image photo by Ryan Pierse)
A few military-themed (and almost-military-themed) notes before Saturday’s prime-time UFC card.
A word from an ‘El Conquistador’ sponsor: Former soldier Jorge Rivera retired last week after stopping Eric Shafer in the second round at the inaugural UFC on FX event. The win wrapped up a mixed martial arts career that began in 2001 and ended with a 20-9 record, according to Sherdog.
We could try to recap his time in the cage, but instead, read this from Rivera’s longtime friend and sponsor Nick Palmisciano, the founder of the Ranger Up apparel line. Military Times EDGE has profiled Palmisciano before — his success story may not involve quite as many bruises as Rivera’s, but it’s worth a look regardless. A fan of both the fighter and the gear? Palmisciano has the perfect way to celebrate.
Battle of bad guys? About a year before his retirement, Rivera lost at UFC 127 in Australia via a controversial second-round stoppage at the hands of Michael “The Count” Bisping. Bisping hit Rivera with an illegal knee in the first round and was docked a point, but the bout was allowed to continue; since then, Rivera has said the blow was intentional, and that it may have hurt him more than he let on at the time.
So, that’s one middleweight former soldier out of The Count’s corner. And you can probably add Tim Kennedy to that list, as we outlined earlier this month. Still, Bisping will have his share of fans Saturday night when he faces off with Chael Sonnen on Fox (also on AFN xtra, according to the American Forces Network website). Sonnen beat former Marine Brian Stann in October at UFC 136 via second-round submission and has been a polarizing figure in the UFC for years, especially after failing a drug test following his 2010 loss to middleweight champ Anderson Silva at UFC 117. The Bisping-Sonnen winner will get a chance at Silva down the line, and the winner of Saturday’s light-heavyweight main event between Phil Davis and Rashad Evans earns a shot at champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
More military in XFC: We told you about former Army combatives champ Brandon Sayles participating in XFC 16: High Stakes next month. The Feb. 10 card will give a number of young fighters national exposure via HDNet, and Sayles won’t be the only vet taking part. Read the XFC release on former Marine Dustin West’s bout here, and check out a feel-good 2010 story on West’s charity efforts here.
MMA notes: Main event for Stann card, Bisping on Kennedy
January 11th, 2012 | Combatives Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Kevin Lilley
Before we bring you a few notes on military-related mixed martial arts, a brief foreign policy discussion from Strikeforce middleweight contender and Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy:
@dominicanlou84 @brianstann they are dumb.
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) January 4, 2012
You want to argue with him?
1. ‘The Count’ strikes back: In addition to foreign policy, Kennedy also weighed in on fiscal responsibility recently, saying last month that UFC middleweight Michael “The Count” Bisping was overpaid for his Dec. 3 knockout over Jason “Mayhem” Miller at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Bisping reportedly pocketed more than $400,000 for dispatching Miller, who reportedly got $45,000.
Asked about Kennedy’s comments about three minutes into this video, the UFC fighter in 60 seconds manages to (a) pretend he doesn’t know who Kennedy is, (b) remind viewers that Miller defeated Kennedy in 2007, and (c) tell the former Special Forces soldier to “go out there, win some fights, and people might give a damn about what he says.”
Bisping fights Demian Maia on Jan. 28 as part of UFC on Fox 2. Kennedy’s dance card is clear at the moment.
2. Stann in semi-main spot: Our good friends at MMAJunkie.com report that UFC on FUEL TV 2, which will feature former Marine Brian Stann, has a main event: Alexander Gustafsson (15-1) vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (20-5). The main draw isn’t a surprise: Gustafsson is a rising Swedish star, and the April 14 card takes place in Stockholm. Stann (11-4) appears set for semi-main status in his fight against Alessio Sakara (15-8).
3. Big up-and-comer Three-time Army Combatives Champion Brandon Sayles is due for some national exposure Feb. 16 when he fights Chase Gormley in a superheavyweight bout on HDNet as part of XFC 16: High Stakes. Sayles won the Army event in 2009 as a staff sergeant with 3rd Infantry Division; he also took top honors in 2008 and 2006. The 6-foot-5 Hawaiian, 2-0 at the pro MMA level, tips the scales at 300-plus pounds, meaning a future in the UFC could be contingent on cutting enough weight to make the 265-pound heavyweight limit.
Report: Brian Stann’s next UFC fight slated for April
January 5th, 2012 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Brian Stann drops Jorge Santiago in the second round of his TKO win at UFC 130 in May 2011. (The Associated Press)
Good news, MMA fans: Former Marine and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann is returning to the Octagon in April. Stann will square off with Alessio Sakara in the headline fight at UFC on FUEL TV 2, MMAJunkie.com reported today.
The fight will take place April 14 at the Ericsson Global Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. It’s the first UFC event in that country, according to Sherdog.com.
Stann (11-4) hasn’t fought since a second-round submission loss to Chael Sonnen in October at UFC 136. Sakara (15-8) is also coming off a defeat, losing a decision to Chris Weidman in March.
Never heard of FUEL TV? Click here to find out if you cable system carries it.
Video: Justin Timberlake’s Marine date dominates MMA match
October 25th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Dan Lamothe
Marine Cpl. Kelsey De Santis smiles after winning her MMA fight Saturday night. (Photo by James J. Lee/Staff)
In the blink of an eye, it was over. Justin Timberlake may want to take notice.
Cpl. Kelsey De Santis, the Marine who famously invited the singer and actor to attend the Marine Corps birthday ball with her, competed Saturday night in Operation Octagon XVI, a mixed martial arts event in Sterling, Va.
To say it was a one-sided fight would be an understatement.
De Santis, fighting in the 145-pound featherweight title fight, pummeled her opponent, Stacy Sneeringer. With a flurry of energy, De Santis took Sneeringer to the mat early, and finished her off 2:51 into the fight with a series of punches and elbows to the face. The match never made it to Round 2.
Staff photographer James J. Lee and I attended the event, held at the Dulles Sportsplex. Check out his video here:
As you can see, the 5-foot-9 De Santis had a large following in the crowd of about 300 people. She took the the microphone in the ring afterward and thanked a variety of people, including her coaches and fellow Marines at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence in Quantico, Va. She also acknowledged all the hoopla surrounding the sensation her YouTube invitation created.
“I’m looking forward,” she said, “to going to the Marine Corps birthday ball with Justin Timberlake.”
On came one of his signature songs, “SexyBack,” and the crowd cheered.
Marine who asked Justin Timberlake to Marine Corps Ball has MMA fight Saturday
October 21st, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts | Posted by Phil Creed
Cpl. Kelsey De Santis, the Marine who made a name for herself in July by asking Justin Timberlake to the Marine Corps Ball, will be fighting in an MMA bout Saturday in Virginia.
DeSantis’ fight is the main event at Operation Octagon XVI in Sterling, Va. Her opponent is a fellow 145-pounder named Stacy Sneeringer.
A trainer at the Martial Arts Center for Excellence (MACE) at Quantico Marine Corps Base, Va., De Santis became the second Marine to garner national attention for asking a celeb to the Marine Corps Ball (A male Marine had struck first by asking Mila Kunis to the Ball). Timberlake accepted De Santis’ invitation, and the two are slated to attend the D.C. ball in November.
Here’s De Santis fighting at Operation Octagon in Oct. 2010. She’s the one in the black top who’s pummeling her opponent.
Here’s a recent interview with De Santis about this fight:
A lousy weekend
October 9th, 2011 | Air Force Army Marine Corps Mixed martial arts Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Chael Sonnen takes down Brian Stann at UFC 136 in Houston. Sonnen submitted Stann in the second round. (AP Photo/ Houston Chronicle,Johnny Hanson)
It was a bad weekend for the service academy football teams. Very bad.
Army lost to previously winless Miami (Ohio). Air Force got smoked by Notre Dame. Navy was trounced at home by Southern Miss.
And on top of all of that, the military’s biggest MMA star — former Marine officer and Silver Star recipient Brian Stann — was soundly defeated Saturday night at UFC 136.
Stann handled
The only of the above events I watched was Stann’s loss, which was somewhat stunning. It wasn’t surprising that Stann lost — he was the underdog — but it was shocking to see Chael Sonnen dominate him so thoroughly right from opening bell.
An All-American wrestler at the University of Oregon, Sonnen’s grappling abilities proved to be too much for Stann, who’s had his greatest success as a stand-and-bang fighter. By the end of Saturday’s fight, Stann had spent most of the match on his back or against the fence, unable to create any distance from Sonnen. According to FightMetric.com, Stann was outstruck 28-2 by Sonnen and was taken down four times.
Sonnen completed his dominating performance with an arm triangle, forcing Stann to tap at 3:51 in the second round. Adding insult to injury, Sonnen didn’t even discuss the match in hi postfight interview in the Octagon, choosing instead to callout rival Anderson Silva in a WWE-esque rant. Intentionally or unintentionally, Sonnen’s antics seemed to drive home that this was an easy victory for him.
The loss is Stann’s first since dropping to middleweight, where he had won three straight fights. Stann’s last loss in the Octagon – to light heavyweight Phil Davis in Feb. 2010 — was another matchup against a former NCAA All-American wrestler.
Afterward Stann was understandably frustrated.
“I thought I was strong enough to handle his wrestling and that wasn’t the case, ” Stann said. “You don’t want Chael Sonnen on top of you. It was horrible.”
Stann’s pro record now stands at 11-4.
Down year?
Last season saw all three service academy football teams make it to bowl games. It appears highly unlikely that will happen again.
Brian Stann warned the fly, but it didn’t listen
October 5th, 2011 | Marine Corps Mixed martial arts UFC | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Marine officer and current UFC superstar Brian Stann was just trying do an interview. Minding his business, really. But this damn fly wouldn’t leave him alone.
Combatives first
August 12th, 2011 | Army Combatives Mixed martial arts | Posted by Michelle Tan
She’s a captain in the 101st Airborne Division‘s 2nd Brigade Combat Team. She is also the Screaming Eagles’ newest bantamweight combatives champ.
Capt. Michelle LaForest submitted her opponent on Wednesday during the Week of the Eagles Combatives Tournament, making her the first woman to win in her weight class at a post-level tournament.
Credit: Fort Campbell Courier
Nearly 90 soldiers competed in the combatives tournament here at the Sabre Army Heliport hangar Fort Campbell, Ky., according to the Fort Campbell Courier. As the soldiers progressed through the various rounds, only 32 remained to fight in the finals, which allows striking and is not much different from a mixed martial arts fight you’d catch on TV.
The Fort Campbell Courier dubbed LaForest’s fight the tournament’s Cinderella story, drawing loud, boisterous cheers when she submitted her opponent with an arm bar.
“As a female, I feel like we’re representing,” LaForest told the Courier. “I’m really happy because a female won.”
LaForest, who belongs to the 526th Brigade Support Battalion, is no stranger to Army combatives. She placed second in the flyweight division during the 2009 Week of the Eagles combatives tournament.
Soldier from 2nd BCT won the overall team title with 215 points, followed by 1st BCT and then 3rd BCT, according to the Courier.