CityView Magazine

Opposite | UFC fighter Josh Koscheck competes in the Fight for the Troops at the Crown Coliseum. Below and right | Hundreds of troops from Fort Bragg received free tickets for the fight which was shown live on Spike TV. Below | Fighters Brodie Farber, left, and Luigi Fioravanti compete at the Crown. Bottom | Hakim Isler, far right, instructs Astrid Mel and Chris Wirth in the street survival class at his downtown studio, Elite Training Center. “U.S. Army combatants consist of so many martial arts. It means a lot for UFC guys who use those skills to come to Fayetteville and give back to us.” - Curt Fincher It’s just one sign of how popular mixed martial arts has become among soldiers and civilians alike. MMA is a full-contact combat sport. It earned a It Mixed martial arts had a reputation in the 1990s for violence and limited safety rules, but more recent mainstream acceptance has brought about tightened guidelines and leagues like the UFC. But make no mistake, players do not pull any punches – or kicks, throws and pins. "This is the style of fighting we do on a daily basis,” said Curt Fincher, a soldier in the sea of soldiers cheering on the UFC fighters at the Crown. “U.S. Army combatants consist of so many martial arts. It means a lot for UFC guys who use those skills to come to Fayetteville and give back to us." Fayetteville even has its own famous mixed martial arts fighter. Tim Kennedy is a Fort Bragg Special Forces soldier who just returned from serving in Afghanistan. He also holds a record as an undefeated player in the now- defunct International Fight League. Within days of his homecoming, he was 54|February/March • 2009 back in the training ring at Team ROC off Reilly Road. On a recent night after work, Kennedy bounced off the cage and lunged at his training partner, landing a punch in one smooth motion. He had been a successful amateur mixed martial arts competitor before he decided to fight professionally. Then, the events of Sept. 11, 2001, inspired a different call. "I think every American, at some point in their life, should do something to serve their country," Kennedy said. "I went to a recruiter two weeks (after Sept. 11) and told him that I wanted to be in Afghanistan tomorrow." Kennedy’s military career comes before the one in mixed martial arts. He cannot compete in the UFC because the league requires athletes to work full time. But he still has several matches scheduled and hopes to recruit for Special Forces so he can represent the Army in the ring. “With my family’s encouragement and the Army affording me the opportunity, I could get every middleweight belt there is,” Kennedy

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