Although the skill set of most Pacesetters deals with dropping artillery shells on their enemies on the battlefield, lately the 3rd Battalion, 29th Artillery Regiment, 3rd Advise and Assist Brigade, 4th Infantry Division has become known for dropping opponents in the ring.
Spc. Casey Steffani, of Nampa, Ind., Spc. Jonathan McMullen, of Longview, Texas, and Pfc. Zachariah Scott of Des Moines, Iowa, had their hands raised in victory at Camp Adder's most recent Fight Night Nov. 29.
After Steffani's first match on the Fourth of July, Scott showed an interest at trying his skills in the ring and began training with Steffani and McMullen. Steffani was eager to don his MMA gloves once again after his last victory, while McMullen was ready for his debut match after being unable to compete during the last contest.
Since the Pacesetters have frequent missions, the team had to train whenever they could. They identified their strengths and weaknesses early on and helped each other to become more effective fighters. Stefanni and Scott have a wrestling background, while McMullen has more experience in boxing.
"Scott and I helped McMullen with his ground game, and he helped us with our stand-up," said Steffani.
When the moment of truth arrived, each fighter clinched victory due to the assistance they gave each other while training.
"I had to thank Steffani for helping me with my take-downs," said McMullen. "That's what helped me get my opponent down on the ground, which led to my win."
The trio of Pacesetters also attributes its victories to the drive and will they instilled in each other.
"We all helped each other out and we pushed each other," said Steffani, who received his second Fight Night victory with a knockout. "No one was going to get disowned if they lost or anything, but we all agreed to leave everything on the mat."
Although this group of Pacesetters experienced some close calls and hard punches throughout the night, Scott's favorite moment did not come in the form of a punch or a kick, but when he sat down to dinner with the other victorious Pacesetters after the match.
"The fights were cool and everything, but nothing's better than grabbing some pizza with two of your closest buddies in the unit," he said.
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