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UFC a smash at Miramar

13 Dec 2006 | Lance Cpl. Kaitlyn M. Scarboro Marine Corps Air Station Miramar-EMS

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MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship hosted a live broadcast of UFC Fight Night at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, Dec. 13.

The event, aired on Spike TV, was the first event hosted by the UFC on a military installation and was attended by a hangar filled with cheering Marines and sailors. The only tickets available to the public were five pairs purchased through an online auction that raised more than $10,000 for Miramar’s Operation Homecoming that supports troops returning from Iraq.  The fight night and supporting activities illustrated organizers’ desire to create a one-of-a-kind event and show support for the military.

“Since we bought the UFC six years ago we’ve been huge supporters of the armed forces,” explained Dana White, UFC president. “We’ve been trying to make this happen for a long time and now that we’re here, we couldn’t be happier.”

Not only was this a debut for the UFC, but four of the fighters were former Marines, two of which were making their ultimate fighting debuts.

The night kicked off with the debut fight of UFC rookie Steven “the Sergeant” Byrnes against fellow rookie, Logan Clark. Clark battered Byrnes with rapid blows to his upper torso and head while Byrnes pounded away with tireless consistency. By unanimous decision, Clark won his first match as a UFC fighter.

Though Byrnes lost his first fight as a member of the UFC, he did not leave the Octagon without the support of his fellow Marines. Echoes of “Oo-rahs,” “Go Sergeant” and “We Love Steve” resounded through the hangar as he mouthed “I love you guys” to the crowd of more than 3,500 Marines and sailors.

Clark and Byrnes were followed by a bloody bout between Brock Larson and Keito Nakamura. Larson, also a former Marine, started his fight with a traditional Marine Corps war-cry and kept the adrenaline pumping with precise, powerful blows and quick, decisive movements.

Nakamura defeated himself, wasting energy on powerless kicks that rarely connected. Larson won 29-28.

In the 3rd preliminary bout, former Marine Luigi Foravanti, battled Dave Menne knocking him to the ground with sledge hammer punches that earned Foravanti a win by technical knock out.

Following Menne’s defeat, Alan Belcher knocked out Jorge Santiago with a high kick to the face during the fourth fight of the preliminary bouts. Belcher and Santiago were followed by a duel between Victor Valimaki and David Heath, with Heath coming out on top.

A steadfast Valimaki fan, Corporal Elsa S. Monday, a travel management specialist with TMO here, jumped from her seat to cheer on her favorite fighter.

“We just wanted Victor to put in his elbows and finish Heath off,” she explained.

Marine Corp icon R. Lee Ermey was also excited about the debut of the UFC on base and took a minute of air time to let the Marines know.

“We shed blood for our country and now the UFC is here to shed some blood for us,” he said. Ermey added that ultimate fighting was the only television show he could convince his wife to watch with him.

Another Marine veteran taking part in the event, Shonie Carter, was grateful to be on a Marine Corps base again and for the chance to bring his sport to the Marines.

“I feel really honored to do this,” said Carter. “I credit the Marines for what it is that I have done. It will sound corny, but the Marine Corps taught me to overcome and adapt. It gave me the mental and intestinal fortitude to over come the things that I struggled with in my life.” 

Despite enthusiastic support from the crowd, Carter lost to Marcus Davis in the first fight of the main event card. A brutal battle between Karo Parisyan and Drew Fickett followed the Carter-Davis match.  Parisyan, earned an unanimous decision and left the octagon triumphant.

Jeff Joslin and Josh Koscheck were the last fighters to face off before the final bout.

Koscheck stood victorious as the lights dimmed in preparation for the main event.

Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez and Joe “Diesel” Riggs headed to the Octagon to face off for the anticipated main event. For the first 45 seconds of the fight between Diego Sanchez and Joe Riggs, the fighters danced around each other throwing only two blows a piece. Moments into the bout, Sanchez connected with a punch to Riggs’s head followed by a jarring knee to Riggs’ jaw that dropped him to the ground. Sanchez finished Riggs off with a few punishing jabs before the referee moved him to his corner.

Riggs, dazed and stunned that the fight had been called, lay on the ground and shook his head disappointedly. The fight lasted just one minute and 45 seconds.

Sgt. John Monday, the supply chief for the Aircraft Recovery unit here, accompanied his wife, Cpl. Monday, to the event. Though the couple cheered for different fighters for the headlining bout, they agreed that the speedy main event left them wanting more UFC action.

“I was excited that Diego won,” said Elsa, “but disappointed that it ended early.”

Sergeant Monday, a Riggs supporter, could only say one word -“disappointed” and his despondence was mirrored on the faces of many fellow attendees. But the quick finish to the main event didn’t dampen the overall response from organizers and Marines about the UFC event.

“I would like to thank the UFC and Spike TV for putting on this event. This has been so much fun and it is just great for the Marines,” said Col. Christopher E. O’Connor.

Disclaimer - Photos associated with this story can be found at:
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POLICY

The most important starting point for an EMS* is the development of an environmental policy. ISO14001 requires local governments to implement their own environmental policy. The environmental policy acts as a basis for the environmental management system.

PLANNING

ISO14001 requires that an environmental management system is planned properly. It requires the organization to consider the following carefully: Environmental Aspects; Legal and Other Aspects; Objectives and Targets; and an Environmental Management Program.

IMPLEMENTATION

The two requirements for implementation of an EMS is to define, document, and communicate roles, responsibilities and authorities, and to allocate the resources needed to implement and control the EMS.

CHECKING

The key requirement in this EMS step is to regularly monitor and measure key characteristics of activities and operations that could have a significant impact on the environment. Changes to EMS procedures may become necessary in order to deal with nonconformances with the EMS, with mitigating environmental impacts, or corrective and preventive action.

REVIEW

The management review process ensure that information is collected to enable management to carry out proper review. Top management review the need for changes to policy, objectives and targets, and ensure that a commitment to continual improvement is being demonstrated.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar-EMS