By Jun Ji-hye
The U.S. 8th Army plans to host a Modern Army Combative Tournament on May 2 to help strengthen the hand-to-hand combat skills of soldiers and raise awareness about the importance of self-discipline, it was announced Monday.
The event will take place from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Collier Community Fitness Center at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul.
“The tournament is part of an Army-wide initiative to help soldiers develop the warrior ethos,” the Army said in a statement.
Throughout the event, soldiers from the 8th Army and its subordinate commands will compete in designated weight classes using various mixed martial arts (MMA) skills, such as taekwondo, jujitsu and wrestling, to defeat their opponents.
“The competition will also feature demonstrations by professional MMA competitors from the TOP Fighting Championship (TOP FC), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), and the International Teukgongmoosool Federation, who practice at a Korean school of mixed martial arts known as Teukgong musul,” it said.
Teukgong musul is widely used for training soldiers and police officers in Korea.
At the end of the tournament, the top three competitors from each weight class will be announced and 8th Army Commanding General, Lt. Gen. Bernard S. Champoux, will present awards.
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