Combatives back on main stage at Phantom Fury | Article

FORT HOOD, Texas — Punches, kicks, submissions and technical knockouts graced the hexagon Aug. 21 at the Phantom Fury combatives tournament at Abrams Physical Fitness Center.

With 16 fighters competing in eight matches, each matchup brought cheers, screams and jeers to the gymnasium.

“This has been put in the process for almost six months now,” said Sgt. Hunter James, a combatives master trainer, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, U.S. Army Garrison-Fort Hood, about the event. “We had our invitationals leading up to this, and these are champions from the invitationals. They finally get to display their fighting abilities in full form.”

Soldiers who qualified trained with James and Erick Rodriguez, another combatives trainer and a public affairs specialist, Fort Hood Public Affairs, during the week to prepare, as well as on their own before and after duty hours.

“These Soldiers, they have a full-time job being Soldiers and all these guys put in work,” James explained. “They train five days a week, some of them six days a week, training on the weekends. They train like professionals. They cut weight, they weighed like professionals, so they definitely put in the work, and I’m very excited to see it pay off tonight.”

Each match was allotted three three-minute rounds, but many did not make it that far. Sgt. Tajuan Johnson, Signal Intelligence and Sustainment Company, Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, III Armored Corps, clinched his win against Pfc. Xchel Sanchez, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, with a triangle choke submission in the first round. Cpl. Jude Blake, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cav. Div., won against Capt. David Ayuso, 8th Brigade Engineer Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Div., with a technical knockout in the second round.

There were only two matches that went all three rounds. Spc. Cole Wallin, 3rd Brigade Engineer Battalion, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cav. Div., who had only 24 hours notice before competing, won against his opponent Spc. Mason Maralit, 3rd Cavalry Regiment, after all three rounds.

“I’m always putting in work, whether I had this fight or not. I’m always on time. Time on, time off — I’m always working. I felt like with the 24 hours notice, I always could be more prepared, but I just went out there and put everything in.”

Wallin said his strategy was to stay on his feet, as Maralit liked groundwork. However, that did not stop Wallin from attempting a rear naked choke on Maralit. His strategy ultimately panned out, as his repeated punches and advances on attack earned him a win through unanimous decision from the judges.

“I feel happy,” Wallin said about the win.

He was also happy about having events like Phantom Fury for the Soldiers.

“I think it’s amazing,” Wallin said. “I just got here, but I think it (combatives) should have never been out of the picture. I think this is absolutely important to every Soldier, especially when it comes down to when it matters in war, in real life and everything.”

First Lt. Daniel Richter, 8th BEB, 2nd ABCT, 1st. Cav. Div., echoed the importance of combatives, especially as someone who was a former enlisted Marine and began training in martial arts to improve his hand-to-hand combat.

“We obviously have a dangerous job just being in the military — being in the Army — that we’re going to encounter things,” he expressed. “Being able to have that little bit of confidence that just with your hands alone, you feel like you could at least be a little or a lot on the side of lethality … Things have consequences, and punches hurt.”

Richter fought in the main event of the night against Sgt. Marcdrevious Flagg, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st ABCT, 1st Cav. Div., a matchup that stirred up social media with over 135,000 views in less than 24 hours. Ultimately, Richter took the win with an ankle lock submission.

“I’m glad to have this experience,” Richter said, “to be able to focus on some skills, get everybody out on the map. And then, obviously, getting a victory is always nice.”

But while he was excited to “put his hands on” a noncommissioned officer, it was all in good fun, and Richter commented on the type of Soldier Flagg is.

“He’s a great dude, great NCO,” he said. “He has a great career and plans to continue it.”

While Phantom Fury is over, this is not the last of Fort Hood combatives.

“I definitely want to keep this going,” James said. “This is just the beginning. … The end goal of this is to find out the best fighters on Fort Hood. This (Phantom Fury) is a perfect way to get the combatives program back up, get the word out, and also at the same time, find the best fighters. We’ll make a super team for the Lacerda Cup next year, and then we go to Fort Benning (Georgia) and win the Lacerda Cup.”