Green Beret quits Army to fight MMA

[bobdina]

Green Beret quits Army to fight full-time

By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Jul 20, 2009 5:59:29 EDT

Staff Sgt. Tim Kennedy, a Special Forces soldier who has turned down invitations to fight in top mixed-martial-arts circuits in order to deploy, planned to make the Army his career.

But he struggled to balance his love for his job in the Army with a desire to fight professionally.

Kennedy’s bosses at Special Operations Command wouldn’t let him fight in professional, civilian MMA tournaments. He tried to become a part of Special Operations recruiting efforts. He asked Army National Guard recruiting officials whether they would allow him to represent the Guard in a sport that is popular with young men.
Each time, the answer was no.

With his two passions tugging at him and time running out on careers built for men in their prime, Kennedy chose MMA.

His terminal leave began July 10; his six-year enlistment ends Aug. 4.

“I’m disappointed and bummed out,” Kennedy said about leaving the Army. “It’s not what I wanted, but I feel like I did everything … I could have done to make this work.”

Kennedy, a combat vet who was assigned to the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, N.C., is not the only soldier heavily involved in combatives or MMA. But, by all accounts, he is among the best and toughest MMA fighters in the Army.

Soldiers who train for the MMA ring have sometimes struggled for acceptance in certain parts of the Army as they participate in a sport that is perceived as brutal, almost-no-holds-barred fighting.

But MMA has moved into the mainstream, largely because of the popularity of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the world's leading mixed-martial-arts association. The UFC is so popular that its pay-per-view events outsold boxing and wrestling in 2006.

Soldiers who fight professionally in civilian tournaments can be a powerful tool in recruiting the 18- to 24-year-old men who are obsessed with MMA.

Before joining the Army, Kennedy trained with MMA legend Chuck Liddell. Now under a three-fight contract with Strikeforce, Kennedy beat Nick Thompson, a fighter currently ranked 10th in the world in his weight class by MMAWeekly.com, on June 19. The fight aired on Showtime, and it was Kennedy’s first professional MMA fight in 18 months.

Kennedy is preparing for his second Strikeforce fight, on Sept. 25. He also will appear in an EA Sports MMA video game as “Tim Kennedy, Army fighter,” and he plans to stay involved in nonprofit organizations that advocate and care for wounded warriors.

“Opportunity only knocks for a short portion of your life, and my time is now,” Kennedy said.

ttp://armytimes.com/news/2009/07/army_kennedy_072009w/

[Cruelbreed]

I have to look out for him.

[Cruelbreed]

His picture

[ghost]

Damn. I'd like to see him kick some ass.

[Scott]

fuck me he is good.

YouTube - Elias Rivera vs. Tim Kennedy

YouTube - Striking Fundamentals

[Cruelbreed]

In the first video they say "Decorated Army Ranger" perhaps that's a mistake.

[bobdina]

He's S.F. they did a big 2 page story on him in ARMY TIMES when he was trying to make his case to stay and fight MMA about 6 months ago. He said it would have been a waste of money with all the training he went through, Airborne, Ranger school and S.F. selection if they just let him go. He was even willing to re-enlist, deploy overseas every time his unit went if the Army allowed to let him fight. But the Army does not want to be affiliated with professional MMA.

[Cruelbreed]

I personally think the army is making a mistake. These are tough men in MMA and there's a huge fanbase. The SEALs at least recruit from extreme endurance sports but it seems Army Special Forces has a completely different more behind the scenes approach. I don't know, they could have at least done good advertisement for Army. What do you think Bob?

[bobdina]

To me the only downside for the Army would be if he sucked ass which obliviously he doesn't. I mean he was willing to still be with his unit, deploy with them what more can you asked for.The Army and National Guard sponsor Nascar, football games , have the high school all-american games in football and basketball and have to pay for it, not to mention all the commercials. They lost a good one with this. Of course that's just my opinion .

[bobdina]

WAHIAWA — In a dank room with punching bags suspended from the ceiling, a Soldier trains in one of the most physically demanding sports of the time — Mixed Martial Arts (MMA).
Spc. Thomas Shields, Headquarters and Headquarter Company, 8th Theater Sustainment Command (TSC), is a young warrior aspiring to be more than just a bystander to a heavy contact sport mostly viewed on television.
“I started MMA because I didn’t want to be a fan anymore,” he said. “I wanted to be involved in the physical competition and athleticism of my favorite sport.”
The 28-year old began his journey two months ago when he decided to find a place he could train to become a fighter. The journey took him to Wahiawa where he entered the Oahu Central fighting school along with a dedicated following of 12 students working toward the same goal.
“I feel real lucky because I have a great teacher,” Shields said. “My instructor gets real involved with each class. He’ll get down and show us through hands-on training because he knows more people need that versus just demonstrating it and having you try and repeat the move.”
In the short time Shields has attended the class, he has already seen a big difference from when he first entered the fight school doors.
“I’ve improved my cardio,” he said. “I’ve seen a noticeable increase in my strength and endurance from all the training I have gone through.”
The training lasts for 2-3 hours twice a week. In that time, the students conduct rigorous cardio regimens that include jumping rope and jumping jacks, along with numerous sit-ups and pushups in the mix.
“It’s tough,” he said. “You can get real burned out from the fast-paced workout even before we begin the actual sparring and techniques of MMA.”
Shields is learning submission holds, striking techniques and how to take down opponents he will be pitted against.
He does claim to have one advantage when he starts any class — he’s a Soldier.
“Being a Soldier and being a fighter are a little similar if you think about it,” he said. “They both require a lot of discipline and the drive to be good at what you do.”
Although the sport is demanding and the training can be intense, Shields makes do in the high-contact sport with an athleticism he built as a former football player and wrestler.
For anyone wanting to do more than just watch Brock Lesnar or Clay Guida on television, Shields recommends giving MMA a try.
“It’s not just an individual sport, you join a team and everyone works and helps each other become better at what they do.”
Until Shields is ready for prime time, he will continue his training to hone his skills for a future fighting competition.

http://www.garrison.hawaii.army.mil/article.asp?artid=10446