ACR soldiers vs professional fighters: a gala evening of combat sports in support of war veterans | CZDEFENCE

The first charity gala evening of combat sports CZ FIGHTERS FOR VETERANS, the aim of which is to support war veterans and their families, will take place on May 6 in the UNYP Arena in Prague. The event is organized by the Fighters for veterans team together with the 43rd Airborne Regiment, and the project received the patronage of the Minister of Defense Jana Černochová and the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Czech Republic, Lieutenant General Karel Řehka. Proceeds from this event will be donated to the Military Solidarity Fund.

Video: ACR soldiers vs professional fighters: preparation for a gala evening of combat sports in support of war veterans / CZ DEFENSE

The Military Solidarity Fund was established in 2015 as a joint project of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic and Charity Czech Republic. The impetus for the creation of the fund was the reaction to the death of five Czech soldiers on a mission in Afghanistan and the need to provide for their families. Since then, the fund’s assistance has expanded substantially. It provides immediate assistance to soldiers in active service and up to five years after leaving the army, to war veterans, and is also intended for their loved ones. So far, a total of 65 requests for support in serious physical, psychological and social cases have been supported with an amount of over 20 million.

As part of the aforementioned charity gala evening of combat sports, public training of all wrestlers took place yesterday at Reinders MMA in Prague’s Stodůlky. Our editors had the opportunity not only to see both complete teams of our soldiers and professional wrestlers, but also to see with their own eyes the training and preparation for this unique evening.

As Corporal Tomáš Kvapil, one of the organizers of the event, told CZ DEFENCE, the world of soldiers and the world of combat sports have always been close to each other. “A lot of soldiers do combat sports, whether it’s boxing, jiu-jitsu, Thai boxing and other sports including MMA. After all, many soldiers are professional MMA, such as Dominik Humburger or Jan Široký. Both are now the most famous faces of this sport and will also be at the gala evening,” Kvapil said. The proximity of the world of MMA and the world of soldiers thus provided the basis for cooperation. “We thought that we could connect these two worlds, that together they could make a fairly decent fan base and that we would direct the power that both worlds have to a good cause,” added Tomáš Kvapil, who is a member of the 43rd Parachute Regiment in Chrudim. He is close to martial arts, because before he joined the army, he was engaged in combat sports. After joining the army, he switched to other forms of physical training, such as running, swimming, etc. “Martial arts bring with them a greater risk of injury to the athlete, but as a supplement to training, they definitely fulfill their role. Not only combativeness is practiced, but also the ability not to succumb to the opponent, to stand up for oneself. In addition, this method to a certain extent replaces real conflict, which can be difficult to practice as part of military training. The soldier has the opportunity to experience physical contact. At the same time, it is not only training and drill that is important, but the so-called head,” describes Corporal Kvapil and adds: “For me, the head is much more than the drill. In combat sports, the head does the most. I know a lot of technically great wrestlers who are not successful in matches because they don’t have the so-called head for it. On the other hand, I know a lot of, let’s say, worse wrestlers who are very successful because they have it well set in their heads. Psyche is alpha omega.”

During the gala evening, the audience will see a total of 7 fights in MMA and boxing. The specialty will be the duel of the commander of the 43rd Parachute Regiment, Lt. Col. Petr Matouš with UFC wrestler David Dvořák. We asked Petr Matouš what made him decide to participate in the match. “It’s a big challenge, I have nothing to lose. On the other hand, David has to show what’s in him,” says Matouš, who, like his colleague Kvapil, confirms that combat sports belong to the army. “I have been watching matches for a long time, for example in Britain. There, there is a lot of competition in combat sports, especially boxing,” adds Matouš, who believes in the victory of soldiers over professional fighters on May 6. However, the most important thing at this unique gala evening is the support of war veterans and their families, including the children of fallen soldiers.

The event is supported both by interesting partners from Czech companies, such as STV GROUP, Česká zbrojovka and Rigad, as well as by the people themselves, who donate directly to the Military Solidarity Fund, for example, via a QR code. “We believe that the reach and support will be great. We believe it will be something that has never been here before. I know it’s said a lot. However, I think that this is really something unique and that the help will be real and great,” says Tomáš Kvapil.

The upcoming charity evening is a great challenge not only for the fighters, but also for the organizers, who will decide based on the response whether a new fighting tradition will be created.