The Marine Corps announced back on May 2011 by the now-retired Sgt. Maj. Carlton Kent plans to create competitions similar to those tied to the Modern Army Combatives Program.   He said then that the tournament-style program was expected to start within a year.  It’s four months past its target date.

Gunnery Sgt. Chanin Nuntavong,, spokeperson to Maj. Mike Barrett tells Marine Corps Times it might not happen during Barrett’s tenure, either.

“Right now, they are still in the research stage of this whole process,” Nuntavong said. “We want to make sure it’s organized, safe and professional.”

There’s a lot to sort out, he added. And they’re all things that will take time, including:

• Who will run it.

• How to pay for it.

• What the rules will be.

• What policies and orders need to be written.

Plus, the Corps has other priorities at the moment.”

Barrett said last fall that he viewed the idea as something positive for Marines to do in their free time.

“We are not going to have a backdoor, alley cat, bullsh– fight club,” Barrett told Marine Corps Times in September.

“I would much rather have a Marine getting off work at 1630, 1700 and donning his stuff and going to the combatives field house instead of going,  ‘Do you want to go over to Joe’s Tavern and knock back a few?’

Read more:  MMA(News)

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