UFC delivers health and fitness tips to Luke

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Louis Vega Jr.
  • 944th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZ. --  The Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial arts organization in collaboration with the Air Force Reserve recruiting command presented the UFC Fitness Tour 2015 Mar 21 here at the Bryant Fitness Center, Luke Air Force Base, Ariz.

Former and current service members and their families participated in the event which included a visit by UFC members, a UFC memorabilia display, a console with the latest video game version of UFC to play and a Haymaker punching vending machine to measure punching power.

UFC fighter Ryan "Darth" Bader and UFC fit coach Mike Dolce spoke with the gathered service members, offered health tips for diet and exercise and answered questions from the audience.

Afterward, pictures with the duo and a personal meet and greet was offered to everyone who attended.

"We work out here three times a week and saw the flyer," said Mr. Daniel Peabody, retired Navy Chief. "My family and I are big UFC fans and we were pleased to be a part of the event."

Bader, has a record of 20-4-0 and is currently ranked number five in the UFC. He attended Arizona State University and was an All-American wrestler with the Sun Devil's. He currently fights out of Tempe Arizona and is scheduled to fight Daniel Cormier June 6, 2015.

Dolce, is a fit coach for a number of UFC and professional boxing athletes. One of his more notable fighters is "Rowdy" Ronda Rousey, the current UFC Women Bantamweight Champion.

"My passion for health and fitness stems from a life-long experience," said Dolce. "My father had a stroke when I was eight years old which made me very aware of health, fitness, diet and exercise."

Dolce expressed the message he wanted everyone to take from the event.
"Start now, life is too short to wait, often times people spend the bulk of their life waiting to start or waiting to be something," continued Dolce. "Time is precious, eat well now, work out now, set goals now and start moving forward to achieve them because after that, anything is possible."

Tech. Sgt. Tamika Culpepper, Air Force Reserve Command recruiter with the 944th Fighter Wing, organized the event by coordinating with fitness center managers Mr. Ansel Bingham and Mrs. Antonia Espinosa-Bazan.