By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Peter Lewis, Joint Region Marianas Public Affairs
SANTA RITA, Guam (NNS) -- Seven mixed martial arts (MMA) superstars interacted with service members, dependents and Department of Defense employees during autograph signings and interactive exhibitions on U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG) and Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) Jan. 10-11.
Nate "Rock" Quarry, "Filthy" Tom Lawalor, Dustin Poirier, Joao Assis, Eben Kaneshiro, Kurt Shrout, and legendary coach Eddie Dahlen were on hand at the Navy Exchange and Single Sailor Sanctuary on NBG Jan 10 to take-on all visitors during a meet-and-greet session.
"I'm a huge MMA fan, and I was so excited to come out here and meet all of these great fighters," said Fire Control Technician 1st Class (SS) Donald Medlin, of Submarine Squadron 15. "It's awesome to know that they support the military and were willing to travel all the way to Guam to show it!"
After signing autographs, taking photos, and giving thanks to service members for all they do, the fighters were off to an interactive exhibition at the Charles King Fitness Center
Hundreds of people showed up to watch the grapplers demonstrate the basics of MMA fighting. Several lucky amateurs were also able to receive one-on-one instruction from the professional martial artists.
"I've been on-island for eight months, and that was by far the most fun I've had," said Construction Mechanic 3rd Class (SCW) Justin Bennett, of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion 11. "It was great to learn techniques from the pros, and a real honor that they'd come all the way out here just to interact with us. I really had a blast."
After their visit to the naval base, the MMA specialists visited the Coral Reef Fitness Center on Andersen AFB to sign more autographs and host another interactive exhibition.
"The training was a really good overview; I liked the pace. It was nice and slow, which made it real easy for you to learn and commit it to memory, as opposed to seeing it done and trying to figure it out yourself," said Staff Sgt. Juan Pacheco, of 36th Civil Engineer Squadron. "They obviously know what they're doing and they broke the moves down to a simple level where people could learn them fairly easy."
Pacheco said he also felt that events like this help to lighten the mood and improve command climate.
"It's excellent for morale and it's something everyone can enjoy," he said.
Kaneshiro said that it was truly an honor to meet with service members and their families, and to have a positive effect on their morale.
"The military does so many things for us, that it's really hard to fathom the depths of their sacrifices," he said. "So if my two weeks of touring can do anything to brighten their day and let them know that we appreciate what they do for us, then it was totally worth it."
The MMA fighters will move on to Japan
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