Marine Corps Enter Formal Partnership With UFC

by Kelvin Hunt on Feb 8, 2010 11:32 AM EST

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps has formed a formal partnership with the Ultimate Fighting Championship that promotes more interaction between Marines and famed mixed martial arts fighters, and calls for a series of new recruiting advertisements that emphasize similarities between the two organizations.

The goal, Marine officials say, is to engage the UFC’s rapidly growing fan base of 17- to 24-year-olds by highlighting the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program and the parallel "sense of shared brotherhood" exhibited by Marines and pro fighters alike.

"The ideologies behind UFC and the Marine Corps now are very similar in a lot of ways — not just in the fighting techniques and mixed martial arts aspect, but … we both share that warrior ethos," said Gunnery Sgt. Pauline Franklin, a spokeswoman at Marine Corps Recruiting Command. Pro fighters, she added, "are very intense people who like to push their limits, and they focus hard on training and believe in commitment, honor and courage."

You can read the rest of it here. I don't want to get too political about this and neither should you. However, emphasis on the bolded portion rises my eyebrow just a tad. The piece goes on to state that the Marines will be advertising during MMA events. Here's a snippet:

I wonder if the other branches of the armed forces will follow suit? I know some of you have military backgrounds, thoughts on this?

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does the army still use a "army of one" slogan. could apply.

remember what john mccain called mma many years ago? i think he will keep his opinion to himself. the pendulum has swung our way and that is as political as i will get. we have come a long ways. i think it’s great the marines will have a partnership with the ufc.

I'm all about covering the spread and moneylines. I was building a house, I don't deserve this, deserves have nothing to do with it. Bang. "Unforgiven" I drink your milkshake. I drink it up! "There Will BE Blood"

by wolfmanshowlforever on Feb 8, 2010 5:54 PM EST reply actions

Nope, it’s “Army Strong” now.

McCain has since recanted the infamous “human cockfighting” line due to the Unified Rules.

The bit about the USMC choosing to leverage MCMAP for recruiting purposes interests me, considering that the Army didn’t seem to do that with Modern Army Combatives (MAC); sure, it promotes competition within itself (hence the All-Army championships), but I’ve never heard of the Army actually using this training as a selling point ever.

Quick refresher on Tim Kennedy’s story: In early 2008 or 2009, US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM)‘s barred its operators from competing in civilian MMA, due to the potential for injury/losing the operator due to a non-combat/training situation, unless the would-be competing operator got an exemption for each fight approved by the commanding “general” (an admiral). Kennedy was Army Special Forces, part of the US Army’s contribution (USASOC) to USSOCOM. He tried to get the Army to put him in its World Class Athlete Program or the Army National Guard to put him in its own Elite Athlete Program, but he was refused on both counts, so he chose not to reenlist… thus costing USSOCOM an operator anyway.

My understanding is that he’s now a Texas National Guardsman (the TNG and New Jersey NG both wanted him) for marksmanship, tactics, and combatives.

by Chortles on Feb 9, 2010 4:08 PM EST up reply actions

That's about what I remember too

Shame for the Army to lose someone who seems to be pretty talented, but they’ve got a plan and if you don’t fit in, they don’t care too much. He landed the gig with the national guard after a post on Junkie.. aparantly someone there digs MMA enough to follow sites and found someone they can use.

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by -Neil- on Feb 15, 2010 2:40 AM EST up reply actions

He was big Army, but he was also one of the “secret squirrels”* so the exact story there is probably classified or at least “nobody’s talking.”

Amusing to later read a comment complaining that combatives had become unrealistically too much like MMA…

by Chortles on Feb 16, 2010 1:37 AM EST up reply actions

Oh, and regarding changes to MAC: the deputy commanding general for Initial Military Training wants less grappling focus, more soldier focus on striking by hands and weapons.

by Chortles on Feb 12, 2010 12:13 AM EST up reply actions

this is disgusting.

they’re going to alienate alot of fans by pulling this kind of shit. there is no place for politics or political beliefs to be promoted or advertised in sport, especially when the very sport we love involves athletes from all around the globe. Dana, Lorenzo and Frank. Go Fuck Yourselves.

You will never get a cent of my money as long as you pull this shit, there is no place for military advertisement in MMA. And people wonder why Fedor won’t fight in the UFC, i don’t blame him. I wouldn’t either.

"I had to fight all my life to survive. They were all against me... but I beat the bastards and left them in the ditch." ~ Ty Cobb

by RearNakedPoke on Feb 13, 2010 5:43 AM EST reply actions