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UFC Fighters visit servicemembers in Afghanistan

  • Published
  • Combined Joint Task Force-82 Public Affairs
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan --  Four Ultimate Fighting Championship stars concluded a four-day visit to servicemembers July 24 at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Fighters Kenny Florian, Jorge Rivera, Heath Herring, and Octagon Girl Amber Nichole Miller joined fans of the sport to fill the servicemembers with UFC action.

"Getting to see our Soldiers' every day jobs has been an eye-opening experience," said Herring, a UFC Fighter from Amarillo, Texas. "My fights have been man-to-man in a ring with a referee, but these guys are out there fighting enemies that don't think twice about taking the lives of innocent people. Hearing the stories our Soldiers tell put our fights into perspective."

For the fighters, the trip also started here July 19, but they were whisked away in the following days to meet servicemembers at Tagab, Ghazni, Whazi Kwah, and Camp Phoenix. At each location, they were met with enthusiasm from Coalition forces.

"Everywhere we went, we received a warm welcome from UFC fans," said Herring. "A lot of Soldiers take their fitness very seriously, and I think UFC has a basic appeal to all athletes. Even if someone isn't an especially aggressive person, they can appreciate the contest of strength aspect."

"At the smaller firebases, you could tell that they don't get a lot of visitors; so you could definitely say I got some extra attention" said Miller, a Las Vegas native. "One guy at one of them told us that they hadn't seen a female who wasn't local in 15 months. If I can bring a little piece of what makes America home, that's awesome."

The UFC fans took time to demonstrate and practice techniques with the Soldiers at every opportunity.

"I can only hope that we teach these guys something they can actually use," said Herring. "What we practice is sport-fighting, with relatively low stakes. A lot of the techniques we use are effective and could be useful with battlefield application."

While the guests garnered respect and admiration from the servicemembers who learned from their new combatives teachers, the respect and admiration went both ways.

"I'm a huge fan of our military heroes," said Florian, a Boston native. "These guys want our autographs, but I don't think they realize that they're heroes to us. They go out to the front lines and fight with little or no recognition which, to me, is truly inspiring. These guys are the real warriors."