Tim Kennedy, a U.S. Army Green Beret, jumps on top of the side of the Octagon moments after he delviered the left cross that would knock Rafael Natal to the ground late in the first round of the main event during the "UFC Fight for the Troops" event ...
Tim Kennedy, a U.S. Army Green Beret, connects with a left cross that would knock Rafael Natal to the ground late in the first round of the main event during the "UFC Fight for the Troops" event at Fort Campbell, Wednesday. Kennedy said that being ab...
Major Gen. James C. McConville, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, was on leave from his post as Regional Command-East commander in Afghanistan to attend the event. He addressed his troops from inside the Octagon fig...
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- More than 4,300 Fort Campbell Soldiers, Family members and spectators filled Sabre Army Airfield Wednesday night for the "Ultimate Fighting Championship Fight for the Troops."
Twenty-six fighters faced off in Hangar 2 for the nationally-televised event, which broadcast live on Fox Sports 1 and via the UFC website and Facebook page. Bouts were also televised on the Armed Forces Network for deployed Screaming Eagles and other service members.
Major Gen. James C. McConville, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division and Fort Campbell, was on leave from his post as Regional Command-East commander in Afghanistan to attend the event. He addressed his troops from inside the Octagon fight cage before the preliminary card fights began.
"The 101st knows a little about fighting. They know an awful lot about winning … each and every one of you knows what it's like to fight. Each and every one of you knows what it's like to defend your country and we are indebted to each and every one of you. Air Assault!" he said. "Your brothers and sisters are fighting in Afghanistan right now, so I want to hear an 'Air Assault' to them."
This is the third "UFC Fight for the Troops," and the third in which money was raised for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund through an online auction and donations. The nonprofit organization helps military personnel who have been catastrophically injured, and their Families.
The organization is funding the building of the post's National Intrepid Center of Excellence Satellite Center, which will provide the most advanced diagnosis and treatment protocols for military heroes suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and "related afflictions." The local center, called Intrepid Spirit, will also offer pain management treatment.
"We are excited to open a satellite of National Intrepid Center of Excellence satellite site here at Fort Campbell to provide more extensive TBI and PTSD services to Soldiers and their Families," said Dr. Bret Logan, Warrior Resiliency and Recovery Center and Intrepid Spirit Center director.
When the Intrepid Spirit opens its doors, we will have two teams to continue providing interdisciplinary, holistic care to patients with complex medical needs."
The post broke ground on the 25,000-square-foot NICoE Satellite Center in June. The center is slated to open in fall 2014 on Indiana Avenue.
Wednesday night's preliminary card bouts brought Soldiers to their feet and fighters to their knees. But nearly each fight garnered tributes from fighters to service members and their sacrifice.
After her TKO win over No. 8 women's bantamweight fighter Germaine de Randamie, No. 7 Amanda Nunes, of Brazil raised her left hand toward the crowd and shouted, "It's for you guys."
"You guys serve us -- tonight we serve you," shouted UFC lightweight Bobby Green after judges awarded him a TKO Round 1 win over opponent James Krause.
Fittingly, four former and current service members filled the preliminary and main cards for the evening.
Headlining the main card was Army Green Beret Tim Kennedy. Also fighting were women's bantamweight and Marine Veteran Liz "Girlrilla" Carmouche, Army Ranger and lightweight fighter Colton Smith. Army Veteran welterweight Neil Magny fought and lost in one of the preliminary fights.
While Carmouche, Smith and Magny each lost their respective bouts, the crowd chanted "Go Liz," "Go Colton" and "Go Neil" until their respective fights ended.
For the five-round main event, Kennedy (16-4) faced Brazilian Rafael "Sapo" Natal (17-4-1) in the middleweight fight.
Kennedy, a Special Forces sniper and Army Ranger, formerly served with 7th Special Forces Group and currently is assigned to the National Guard's 19th SFG.
As Kennedy entered the Octagon, deafening shouts from troops consumed Hangar 2.
At the sound of the bell, fighters tapped fists and the action started. As each traded punches, Soldiers shouted "Ranger up" for several seconds before chiming in with "Ken-ne-dy" and finally "U-S-A."
The chanting seemed to motivate Kennedy, and troops did not have to wait long for the sparks to fly.
In the fourth minute of Round 1 Kennedy threw a left hook that hit Natal square on the jaw. Natal fell down to the mat and stayed there. Kennedy followed with another punch.
The referee stopped the match at 4:40.
Seconds later, Kennedy ran across the Octagon, climbed to the top of the cage and started shouting words of appreciation to the troops.
After being declared the winner by TKO, Kennedy celebrated his victory with the sea of service members in a brief speech.
"I'm 100 percent overwhelmed. You guys are my heroes. You guys are my idols," he said from the center of the Octagon.
While reviewing the final moments of the fight on the big screen with the audience, Kennedy described how his coaches on the sidelines were shouting for him to throw the punch.
"I instinctively listened to my coaches. I just did what they wanted," he said. "This is what we do -- we finish fights."
Getting into the Octagon Wednesday night was more of a challenge for Kennedy than the crowd realized, however.
In post-fight interviews, Kennedy revealed he had torn his quad last week at fight camp. Injured or not, the Soldier was determined to keep his main-event commitment.
"If they had to roll me into the cage to fight Natal, I would have fought him," he said. "I was 100 percent focused on fighting Rafael."
UFC President Dana White told reporters after the event he was unaware of Kennedy's injury, but thought the fighter may have had some difficulty early in the round.
"He was getting picked apart before the knockout. You could tell he was having trouble. This fight happened because he's a tough guy. It was a fight with two real tough guys and he scored a big knockout," White said. "This is a business where we are only as good as our last fight -- in the UFC and the fighters. Things worked out for Kennedy this time."
For UFC fan Pvt. Hunter DeSander, "UFC Fight for the Troops" was one to remember.
"I had high hopes for this card -- no disappointment at all," said the 101st Soldier from 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team. "From fight No. 1 to fight 13, which was the main event, I was just on my feet … I lost my voice I was so excited."
Related Links:
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on Twitter
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital
101st Airborne Division on Facebook
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on Facebook
Fort Campbell Courier on Facebook
Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund on Facebook
"UFC Fight for the Troops" photos
101st Airborne Division on Twitter
Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on Twitter
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