NASHVILLE (March 29, 2010) – Hunter “The Future’’ Worsham, a member of the United States Army’s 101st Airborne and son of mixed martial arts (MMA) pioneer Cal Worsham, will square off with Nashville resident Zach Underwood in a middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary bout at the STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields mixed martial arts (MMA) event at Bridgestone Arena on Saturday, April 17.

The 26-year-old Worsham, a married father of one, is stationed at Fort Campbell, located an hour away from Nashville. The upcoming matchup represents the biggest opportunity of his career.

“It is an honor to be fighting on this show. The fact that Dan Henderson is headlining (against STRIKEFORCE middleweight champion Jake Shields) is an honor in itself,” said the 6-foot1 inch Worsham. “But I believe this is the level I should be at. STRIKEFORCE is where I want to be. They’re right in my backyard.’’

A four-year high school wrestler, Worsham competed for Cordova High in Rancho Cordova, Calif. for three years and, in his senior year, for Folsom High in Folsom.

“I wrestled throughout high school, but I’d been into cage fighting since I was 13,’’ said Worsham, who’s father fought in some of the earliest UFC events in the mid-1990’s and owned a gym with MMA legend Don Frye. Hunter started doing MMA when he was 17 years old and, before the elder Worsham retired, father and son fought on the same card, each winning by knockout on Aug. 4, 2007.

Worsham, who entered the Army on Sept. 3, 2008, trains three times a day when he is not in the field or is off work.

“This fight isn’t a one-time thing. It’s a way of life for me (outside of the Army). In school, I didn’t know what I wanted to do, but fighting came naturally. I wasn’t in a lot of street fights but, with red hair and glasses, I got picked on a lot.’’

The bullying ceased almost immediately after a conversation with his father.

“When I told my Dad, he said to ‘never let another kid touch me again.’ That’s when I started to really train hard. Besides, I’d figured why fight in school or on the streets when I could just go do it and look good in front of a crowd, while making some money and being honest about it.

“I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today without my Dad, who won five of seven title fights and fought a lot of the better guys that others wouldn’t. However good I am in this sport is because of him.’’
Worsham turned pro in April 2007 and fought four times that year. Due in large part to his stint in the service, this will be just his third start in two and a half years and second since donning the army green.

Worsham won his second MMA belt in his last outing when he captured the Gladiator Challenge light heavyweight (205 pounds) title on March 6 with a 2:43, first-round submission (armbar) over Phillip Brown. He captured the Gladiator Challenge 170-pound crown with a crowd-pleasing, five-round unanimous decision over Niko Medina on Aug. 13, 2008.
Worsham hasn’t heard officially but he expects to be deployed shortly after the fight on April 17.

“It has all worked out for the best,’’ he said. “Everything I do, serving in the Army, fighting in MMA, is for my wife and our 16-month-old. It is definitely tough leaving them behind, but the upside, fighting on this STRIKEFORCE card, or any other, is all for them.”

The Worsham-Underwood clash is one of 10 bouts slated for STRIKEFORCE Nashville: Henderson vs. Shields. Tickets are on sale at Bridgestone Arena ticket office, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’S official website (www.strikeforce.com).
The event will air live on the CBS Television Network. In televised STRIKEFORCE world title fights, legendary MMA superstar and two-time U.S. Olympic wrestling competitor Henderson (25-7) will challenge STRIKEFORCE World Middleweight (185 pounds) Champion Shields (24-4-1), who has won 13 straight dating to December 2004, STRIKEFORCE World Light Heavyweight (205 pounds) Champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) will defend his crown against undefeated MMA star and two-time NCAA All-American wrestling star “King Mo” Lawal (6-0) and STRIKEFORCE World Lightweight (155 pounds) Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez (17-2) will risk his belt against his DREAM champion Shinya Aoki (23-4).

In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the
premium cable television network. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, Nov. 7, and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

Dropping troubled kids into a mildly-abusive environment is a time-honoured and satisfying tactic. Whether it’s the army or combat-sports, the general idea is to curb teenage frustration by straining young bodies and minds in a sadistic but controlled manner.

There are many different avenues for developing punks, but there is a mental aspect to combat sports that’s cuts particularly deep. Being beaten in a fight can be devastating to the ego. From being rocked by a left hook to feeling your arm about to snap at the elbow, it’s a visceral experience to be at the mercy of a single opponent.

Furthermore, being outclassed is something that happens a LOT when you first start training. For an angry youth, that can be both a healthy outlet and a source of important lessons about controlling emotions–swinging like a madman will not get you far against an experienced fighter. Technique, patience and strategy are key to long-term success; riding emotions and raw power will lead to a burn out and a messy end.

In the corner of using recreational violence for the good of society is the recently ended life of Bob Shamrock. Shamrock ran a special ranch for troubled young men on their way to becoming incarcerated adults. He made them chop wood, solve their disputes with proper boxing matches, and develop practical ambitions. The most famous of the “youts” are of course MMA legends Frank and Ken Shamrock. Ken in particular credits Bob with keeping him out of jail by channeling his anger into training, and encouraging him to pursue competitive martial arts as a career.

In the same vein, the New York Times recently ran a piece on pastors taking an active role in MMA training. The goal of these churches is clearly to attract the absent 18-34 male demographic back to Sunday services. But whatever the motivation, it may be doing some good. Church leaders try to combine the self-discipline and confidence required for training and competition with Bible lessons, “family values” and personal responsibility. Like Shamrock, they focus on troubled young men bursting with daddy-issues.

The continued popularity of war suggests that there may be a lot of pent-up aggression in today’s society. There is a bit of accepted violence left in mainstream sports like hockey, football and rugby. But there’s something passive about checking, tackling and brief scuffles that do not satiate the more vicious instincts. While machines get faster and deadlier, we find people just as annoying as our smelly ancestors did. It’s only logical that to keep the social order intact some kids will need a regular ass-kicking.

Unfortunately, Charles Daniel “Krazy Horse” Bennett recently took it upon himself to poke holes in the hope for a better world through competitive violence. After 40 professional fights and experiencing the full range of ups and downs that MMA has to offer, “Krazy Horse” should have acquired some personal restraint. Yet he was allegedly furious enough about being roughed up in a training session to leave, return an hour later, and assault a teammate with a large piece of steel in the parking lot. Though it may not have been his intention, Mr. Horse highlights an important dilemma with teaching delinquents how to fight.

While combat sports can be a healthy way of controlling anger, it will never solve the problems that keep the rage boiling up. If someone has serious emotional problems, it will take more than MMA to keep them out of jail. Violent crimes are common among young men in particular because of a fluctuating combination of testosterone, self-esteem, and emotions. Without some guidance and little understanding that can be an overwhelming situation.

Learning to control emotions completely is something that most people will never accomplish; life is just too damn aggravating. When stress and anger bubble to the surface, combat sports can burn it off like a little extra fat. But when emotions flow unchecked they function as fuel–a pissed off human can justify all sorts of destructive behaviour.

Combat sports training is a tool that can be used for self improvement. Getting beaten down for hours on end will take the edge off of most people, but there’s no guarantee for a model citizen over a stronger, faster criminal. The deciding factor in what people will accomplish is maturity, and that cannot be taught; it has to be absorbed through life experience.