FORT BENNING, Ga. - Brandon Sayles won't be giving up his day job, but he said this opportunity was too good to pass up.
The three-time U.S. Army Combatives heavyweight champion makes his Mixed Martial Arts debut today at Best of the Best-18: "The Real Deal," scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Columbus Civic Center. Sayles will battle Arnold Adams, another newcomer to the sport, in a super heavyweight bout, one of 11 fights on the card.
"I see a lot of guys fighting on TV I know I can compete with," said the 28-year-old staff sergeant, who's assigned to the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team's rear detachment at Fort Benning. "They might as well know the United States Army has some of the best fighters also."
Sayles, of Hilo, Hawaii, captured Army Combatives titles in 2006, 2008 and 2009. He missed the tournament three years ago because of an Iraq deployment.
He said combatives has helped prepare him for the glare and spectacle of MMA.
"A lot of the techniques we use in the Army are life-saving techniques on the battlefield," he said. "We work on transitions from weapons to hand-to-hand combat. You're detaining the other guy; it's not so much about hurting the other guy.
"MMA is more of a sport. We like to hit people in the face, but I'm not a big fan of getting hit in the face myself."
Sayles has been to Iraq twice but did not accompany Sledgehammer Brigade on its current rotation. The 3rd HBCT left in October for a fourth Iraq deployment.
"I got a lot of support from the guys who are deployed now," he said. "I keep in touch with them."
Sayles has been at Fort Benning since joining the Army in 2001 and said he isn't planning to go anywhere - even with the lure of MMA and its growing popularity. He's in the process of moving over to the U.S. Army Combatives School to become an instructor.
"I'm staying in the Army," he said. "There's a lot of opportunity for my career to grow."
Dana Pitcher Productions has staged two smaller MMA shows in Columbus, but this will be the largest - with the 9,000-seat civic center as host.
Tim "Tiny Tim" Stone is among a handful of Columbus natives set to appear in "The Real Deal." The Shaw High School and Columbus State University graduate said he's married with two kids and works a full-time job, but trains in every spare moment.
"For the past few years, I've been working on a Ph.D. in punching people in the face," he said.
During a Jan. 6 press conference to promote "The Real Deal," Pitcher said the sport's rise in the South has "flooded the market" with lackluster, poorly executed events. But he called Columbus the perfect setting for MMA and promised a high-caliber production. Pitcher also said Ultimate Fighting has a future here.
"This is a great event and good product if it's handled right," said Columbus Civic Center director Dale Hester, "and Dana knows what he's doing ... I've heard more talk on the street about this event in the past six weeks than I've ever heard about anything in my life. We're looking forward to a long, long relationship with Dana Pitcher."
BEST OF THE BEST-18: Aca,!A"THE REAL DEALAca,!A?
What: an 11-bout card of world-class Mixed Martial Arts
Where: Columbus Civic Center
When: today Aca,!" doors open at 6:30 p.m.; first punch at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: ringside $45; reserved $25 to $35
Tickets on sale at all Ticketmaster locations and the Columbus Civic Center box office. For more information, call 706-653-4460 or 800-745-3000.
FEATURED BOUTS
Lightweight
Ryan Williams (10-4) vs. Rick Tatora (7-4)
Middleweight
Tim Aca,!A"Tiny TimAca,!A? Stone (1-0) vs. Daniel Schmitt (1-1)
Lightweight World Title Fight
Keoki Aca,!A"HawaiiAca,!a,,cs Bad BoyAca,!A? Cypriano (6-1) vs. Kalvin Aca,!A"Hot BoyAca,!A? Hackney (10-1)
Heavyweight
Mark Aca,!A"BeekerAca,!A? George (3-0) vs. Jason Guida (22-16)
WomenAca,!a,,cs Bantamweight
Tania Aca,!A"The DestroyerAca,!A? Powell vs. Kimberly Novak
Super Heavyweight
Brandon Sayles vs. Arnold Adams (both making MMA debut)
Middleweight
Joey Mickle (3-0) vs. Mike Pitz (3-1)
Bantamweight
Thorne Faught (1-0) vs. Charles Hall (1-0)
(Matches subject to change without notice)
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