Featured Image Credit: The U.S. Army
Topics: UFC
Nasir Jabbar
A US sergeant fought a Polish soldier in a military MMA match and one man emerged victorious.
Johan Mackie started his career in the California National Guard as an infantryman in 2008 before transitioning to active duty, where he was stationed in South Korea as part of the United Nations Command Honor Guard.
While serving overseas in South Korea, Mackie was given opportunities to continue his passion as a fighter.
He was able to fight Nae Chul Kim in Taiwan.
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"He was the 2009 Grand Prix World Champion in kickboxing, and I was able to fight him in Taiwan while I was stationed in Korea. So, I was able to fly to Taiwan and fight there," said Mackie.
"So, there are a lot of good opportunities in the military to do things that you’re passionate about."
Once again, while serving in Germany, he was given the opportunity to fight in a Polish Armed Forced Mixed Martial Arts Gala against Polish soldier Pawel Oleszczuk.
The gala, staged in Warsaw, extended an invitation to US service members serving in Europe, opening the door for Mackie to face Oleszczuk in the tournament.
The project was organised by the Polish Ministry of National Defense in order to promote and popularise all martial arts among their soldiers and society.
Mackie vs. Oleszczuk was contested over three rounds, with each round lasting five minutes.
The military MMA match-up went the distance as Mackie and Oleszczuk traded blows in the cage for 15 gruelling minutes.
Oleszczuk emerged victorious as the judges scored the bout in favour of the Polish soldier.
Speaking after the bout, Mariusz Blaszczak, Polish Minister of National Defense, said: "I thought it was easy to recognise that we’re allies, Poland and U.S. Thank you very much for your presence. Thank you very much for the fight and thank you for everything the U.S. Army is doing on Polish soil."
On his performance, Mackie added: "I feel good about the fight. I kind of knew my stamina wasn’t there. But that just means I’ll be back for sure."