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UFC Fight For The Troops

On Janurary 22, 2011 the UFC hosted UFC Fight For The Troops 2 at Fort Hood in Kileen, Texas. Also referred to as UFC Fight Night 23, the mixed martial arts event was the third of it's kind, put on by the UFC in cooperation with a US military base.

Lightweight contenders Cole Miller and Matt Winman who were orginally set to fight at UFC 125 faced off at the event.

Jens Pulvers team member Miller, who was a contestant on the Ultimate Fighter 5 which featured Lightweight fighters, came across as timid and certainly did not fight a good fight. Judging from a knee brace he sported later, it is speculated that he was injured. On the other hand, Winman, who was also on the Ultimate Fighter 5 on the B.J. Penn team, came on strong from the get go and never let up. He won the bout with flying colors.

Also fighting in the Lightweight division were Evan Durham and Melvin Guillard. Durham hails from Las Vegas and is ranked the ninth best Lightweight fighter by Sherdog. Guillard was an Ultimate Fighter 2 contender. Aside from a brief show of power on the ground by Dunham, Guillard dominated the fight with knees and punches, impressing the fans and himself as well and ultimately winning the fight.

Former NFL football player, Matt Mitrione, took on former Heavyweight Champion of King of the Cage, Tim Hague, in one of the main card Heavyweight bouts.

Mitione layed on some heavy punches and won hands down. He stated with that win under his belt, he would like to go up against Antonio Nogueira.

American Super Heavyweight Kickboxer Pat Barry took on "Mexicutioner" Joey Beltran in the Heavyweight division. Beltran repetitively held Beltran against the cage but could not damage him before the referee separated the two. Barry layed on some heavy kicks that left Beltrans legs black and blue. Beltran returned with some dirty boxing. All said and done, it was a close call but Barry won the decision.

Fighting in the Featherweight section was Canadian Mark Hominick and Rage in the Cage Featherweight Champ, George Roop. Roop showed some tenacity for being the underdog but Hominick managed to hold his spot for the title shot of UFC Featherweight Champion against current title holder and fourth and final WEC Featherweight Champ, Jose Aldo.

The event benefited the men and women in the Armed Forces who have suffered traumatic brain injuries.

FIGHT FOR THE TROOPS TRIVIA

1. UFC Fight for the Troops 1 was an event held on December 10, 2008 to help raise money for fallen soldiers and their families.

How many fighters were injured during the event?

(answer: Six. Corey Hill, Razak Al-Hassan, Brandon Wolf, Jonathan Goulet, Nate Loughran and Yoshiyuki Yosida were all hosipitalized for injuries sustained during their fights that night.)

2. In Fight for the Troops 1, how much money did Josh Koscheck win for Knock Out of the Night?

(answer: $30,000)

3. In Fight for the Troops 2, Former NFL football player, Matt Mitrione fought in the Heavyweight division. What is his nickname?

answer: (Meathead.)

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