Fuel TV posts profile of former Marine and UFC fighter Brian Stann
March 21st, 2012 | Battle Rattle Infantry Iraq Mixed marital arts Sports Veterans Wounded warriors | Posted by James Sanborn
Fuel TV has posted the Brian Stann profile that aired last night. In it, the former Marine officer turned pro-MMA fighter recounts his time in Iraq including a six-day battle for which he was awarded the Silver Star.
Former Marine Brian Stann profiled on UFC Ultimate Insider
March 21st, 2012 | Iraq Mixed marital arts Veterans | Posted by James Sanborn
Last night, UFC Ultimate Insider on Fuel TV profiled Marine Captain turned pro fighter Brian Stann. For those of you who missed it, UFC.com should post the entire episode online later this week. Check back for a link.
In the meantime, watch the trailer. In it Stann talks not just about his UFC career, but about his time in Iraq where he was awarded the Silver Star for a pitched six day battle in 2005. He and his unit — 2nd Mobile Assault Platoon, 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines — held a critical bridge after being ambushed by insurgents from all sides and taking more than 30 RPG rounds.
Since then Stann has launched a successful MMA career and opened his own gym names Warrior Legion MMA in Alpharetta, Ga. He operates it with George Lockhart, his friend and a former instructor at the Marine Corps Martial Arts Center of Excellence, in Quantico, Va.
UFC hopeful and former Marine George Lockhart back in the MMA spotlight
February 28th, 2012 | MCMAP Mixed marital arts | Posted by Andrew deGrandpre
The Feb. 22, 2010, Marine Corps Times introduced Sgt. George "Loaded" Lockhart to the rest of the Marine Corps and the world.
Today, our friend and fellow military blogger Phil Creed posted a great story about the re-emergence of mixed martial artist and former Marine Sgt. George “Loaded” Lockhart.
Regular readers of Marine Corps Times will recognize that name. Lockhart was the subject of a cover story two years ago after the Marine Corps told him he could not accept Spike TV’s invitation to appear on “The Ultimate Fighter,” a reality show for up-and-coming MMA pros seeking a shot at UFC stardom. At the time, commanders in Quantico worried that Lockhart’s participation could reflect poorly on the institution, as some of the show’s past cast members were depicted acting immature and, well, kind of gross. That story took off online, even earning a shout out from Yahoo’s MMA blog, Cagewriter.
As a Marine, Lockhart ranked among the Corps’ most skilled hand-to-hand fighters, holding the elite job of instructor trainer at the Martial Arts Center of Excellence in Quantico, Va., where he was entrusted to teach fellow practitioners of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program how to coach and mentor others. But when the Corps denied a second invitation to appear on “The Ultimate Fighter,” Lockhart knew his days in MARPAT were numbered. He left the service last year to pursue his pro career.
And so far so good. As the After Action blog points out, Lockhart won a unanimous decision Friday night in Salt Lake City, beating Jarome “Hatchet” Hatch, in his first pro fight in more than two years. His career record now stands at 11-4 and his sights are set squarely on the UFC, where his friend and fellow Marine, former Capt. Brian Stann, has won mad respect and thousands of fans.
As Marine Corps Times reported on Lockhart over the past two years, we often heard from Marines wondering why the brass didn’t try to capitalize on Lockhart’s emerging celebrity status. A common argument from readers: Marine Corps Recruiting Command has a partnership with the UFC, so why not let a squared-away Marine such as Lockhart be the face of that relationship?
That’s a question worth pondering, particularly in light of the sport’s immense popularity among young military-aged men and the Corps’ growing acceptance of MMA. Will a day come when an active-duty Marine, with the chops to compete in the UFC, is allowed to do so?
Video: Justin Timberlake’s Marine date dominates MMA match
October 24th, 2011 | Mixed marital arts Pop culture | 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.
MMA pro Brian Stann partners with Call of Duty Endowment to help veterans
May 26th, 2011 | Iraq Mixed marital arts | Posted by James Sanborn
Former Marine captain and UFC pro Brian Stann is partnering with the Call of Duty Endowment this Memorial Day weekend to raise money for programs that help place unemployed veterans in jobs.
You don’t have to actually empty your pockets to help. Just “donate” your Facebook status by visiting the endowment’s page here. For every person that does, the endowment will give Stann’s organization — Hire Heroes USA — $1 for a grand total of up to $50,000.
After transitioning to civilian life in 2008, Stann, who received the Silver Star for actions in Iraq, helped organize his own non-profit Hire Heroes USA. The organization provides job search training to troops from all branches through on-base workshops and resources at www.hireheroesusa.org. The organization now places at least two former service members in jobs each week.
Stann also plans to help troops and veterans with his soon-to-open gym called Warrior Legion MMA in Alpharetta, Ga. It’s doors will officially open after July 4 and its instructors will include up-and-coming fighter Sgt. George Lockhart who is a Marine Corps Martial Arts instructor at Quantico, Va. Stann and Lockhart, who is about to finish his time in the Corps, will be joined at the gym by big-name fighter Tom “Kong” Watson.
Stann not only plans to employ veterans, but he will allow those recovering from injuries to train for free.
“Specifically as we find veterans who may be suffering from post-traumatic stress, they are going to be allowed to train there for free because I’ve seen first hand how martial arts can affect those kinds of stresses for veterans and help them cope with the difficulties of reintegrating into society,” he said.
Behind the Cover: Corps-wide MMA contests
May 23rd, 2011 | Behind the Cover MCMAP Mixed marital arts The Sgt. Major of the Marine Corps | Posted by James Sanborn
UFC-style competition will likely be rolled out Corps-wide within a year, according to Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps Carlton Kent. While Kent was clear that the final decision rests with the commandant, Marine officials are already in detailed meetings to discuss how an Army Combatives-style tournament system could be rolled out.
Early this year, Kent sent Sgt. Maj. Howard Long, the senior enlisted Marines at Training and Education Command at Quantico, Va., on a fact finding mission that took him to the U.S. Army Combatives School at Fort Benning, Ga. There the Army’s master trainer, Sgt. 1st Class Jason Martin, gave Long the run down on the Army combatives system and how they run their tournaments.
Marine officials have said they will model the Marine Corps’ tournament system after the Army’s which. That would mean Marines will be allowed to compete at the small unit level. The best fighters will advance to compete against other units and climb the latter in an effort to earn a spot at an annual all-Marine competition that will determine who are the Marine Corps’ best hand-to-hand fighters.
For the details pick up this week’s Marine Corps Times, on newsstands now, or subscribe here.
Sgt. George Lockhart to leave Corps, start MMA gym
January 6th, 2011 | Fitness MCMAP Mixed marital arts | Posted by James Sanborn
Sgt. George “Loaded” Lockhart, one of the Marine Corps’ top martial arts instructors, has said he plans to open a gym this summer with rising UFC star Brian Stann.
Lockhart, who is set to leave the Marine Corps in July, said he and Stann, a former Marine captain and Silver Star recipient, hope to co-manage the gym in Alpharetta, Ga., near Atlanta.
The two of them are both quickly earning names for themselves in the UFC — Stann as the underdog fighter who crushed Chris Leben in a New Year’s Day victory and Lockhart as a diet guru who helps fighters drop weight in the days before their fights.
Lockhart has worked with a handful of fighters including Stann, Jon “Bones” Jones, and may soon help former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans prepare for an attempt to reclaim his title from Mauricio “Shogun” Rua during a May fight.
He has harnessed his notoriety by launching a fitness business called “For Fighters by Fighters.”
While Lockhart has been mostly conditioning fighters, he is no slouch in the octagon himself. He has several professional fights under his belt and was invited to compete on Spike TV’s “The Ultimate fighter.” He was first invited in 2009, but was unable to participate after his request for six weeks of leave for filming was denied. He was invited back in 2010 for the show that will air in 2011, but the Marine Corps has not announced an official decision.
Either way, Lockhart is a man to watch. He is determined to break into the UFC one way or another, he said.