True Warrior: An Airman's fight

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Timothy Kim
  • 52nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany (AFNS) -- --  (This feature is part of the "Through Airmen's Eyes" series on AF.mil. These stories focus on a single Airman, highlighting their Air Force story.)

The distant roar of hundreds of people hungry for action pulses through the compound, rumbling the stone walls of a dimly lit waiting room.

Shoulders hunched, Tech. Sgt. Clinton Williams, a 52nd Component Maintenance Squadron engine manager and mixed martial artist, walks down a hallway, wearing a grey hood draped over his perspiring head.

He remains silent, his hulking figure leads his team toward the stage entrance. A low bass beats louder as they near a set of green double doors.

Williams stands at the arena entrance, motionless and unblinking. He takes a deep breath, bares his mouth guard for an instant, then steps through the threshold.

Roars of a near-deafening caliber fill the room, consuming him in a wave. The crowd screams down at him, cheering and waving. Their eager shouts and motions are fueled by nervous excitement.

He takes off his warmup gear down to his camouflage-pattern shorts and yellow gloves. As the referee's fingers massage lubricant on his scalp and ears, Williams’ eyes flash up toward the bright ring and toward his opponent. Their eyes lock.

For Williams, settings like the one at the 12th Kwon Respect Fighting Championship April 11 in Wuppertal, Germany, are not foreign.

Sporting a fighting record of 10-1, 5-0 as an amateur and 5-1 as a professional, Williams' confrontations are often riddled with pre-game anxiety and anticipation -- feelings he gets before every fight.

As a deployed member from the 388th Fighter Wing at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Williams' assignment to Spangdahlem Air Base served as an opportunity for him to advance in his professional career as an Airman, as well as in his training in MMA -- his passion.

Williams said he ties his victories in the ring to the training and discipline he received from the Air Force.

"Winning's the only thing I can think about," Williams said. "When you go to war in the Air Force, you don't think about what happens if we lose. I take that mindset into the fight as well - I prepare hard so when I get in the ring, regardless of what happens. I make that fight my fight."

Williams arrived at Spangdahlem to work as an engine manager for the 52nd CMS. He then engaged with a local jiujitsu club and Muay Thai class on base to further his training.

"I had a host of friends in Georgia who invited me to the sport, and I got good rather quickly," Williams said. "I just stuck with it, and the more I stuck with it, the more I got fascinated at wanting to get better with it."

The crowd cheered as the bell's ring signaled the beginning of their fight. Williams raised his fists to his face as he stepped toward his opponent -- Raymond Jarman, a mixed martial artist from the Netherlands.

Like predators scanning each other for weaknesses, both fighters dance around the ring -- striking, blocking, countering and weaving. Their eyes lock, constantly analyzing. Neither receives or lands an effective hit against the other.

The fight is slated for five three-minute rounds. The warriors test their worth and mettle in this ring of survival.

They both seek the same answer: who would emerge the victor?

Williams' fight was the 10th of 13 fights that night, allowing him plenty of time to warm up and train with his coach, Tammosa Sukon, gym instructor at Kiboju Free Fight System in Mannheim, Germany, and his manager, Army Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Foster.

"I've been training with Williams for six months," Foster said. "As a U.S. Air Force warrior, he's an outstanding ambassador. He's well-spoken and educated. He's a great person who's dedicated to his craft and a great armed forces member."

Sukon expressed confidence in Williams' ability to perform before the fight, as he personally worked on jiujitsu with him at the gym.

"I saw Clinton every week," Sukon said. "I feel very comfortable because he's trained very well and already has experience as a fighter. Our gym has a lot of fighters who are used to fighting in other countries like Sweden or the United States. Having a foreign fighter in our country is nothing new. We're always willing to welcome them, and we're more than happy to have anyone training with us, regardless of where they come from."

Williams swayed back, watching calmly as the tip of Jarman's toes screamed past the bridge of his nose. Thirty seconds had passed, and Williams had yet to break a sweat. He calmly returned to position, arms raised near his face like he had always practiced.

He delivered a low, quick Muay Thai kick to Jarman's left thigh with his right shin. His eyes remained locked onto his opponent's face, which was now scrunched in anguish. He'd been chipping away at Jarman, targeting his legs for a while.

Fists met hardened muscle and bone as Williams' defense neutralized Jarman's attack. The onlookers continued to cheer in waves of euphoria.

It was at that moment that Williams saw something. It was small, almost invisible to the untrained eye and too tiny to be seen by someone who had not been taught to seek it, but it was there. Williams saw an opportunity as Jarman's left arm dipped slightly as it prepared to throw a jab.

In a classic case of brawn over brains - muscle reflex over conscious thought - Williams took a step forward, no longer concerned of Jarman's potential attack and threw a right cross with all his might.

That's all it took.

"In any fighting sport, a knockout is like a home run in baseball," Williams said. "It's one of the things we train for. When you see an opening, you go for it and land it the way you trained. That's the result that should happen. It's fortunate that it came in my favor."

With a decisive win and the championship belt around his waist, Williams ended that night with cheers from the audience and friends. Although the fight ended and the lights dimmed, life resumed a seemingly peaceful course for Williams.

He attributed everything he's been able to do up to this point in his life in part to his decision to enlist in the Air Force.

"Joining the military is the biggest factor in me fighting," Williams said. "My trainers, my coaches, the people I've met, the experiences I've had, and being able to travel have all been thanks to my commitment to the Air Force. Without the Air Force, I wouldn't be here in Germany. I wouldn't have the experiences I've had in Korea. I wouldn't have met the people I've met in Hill AFB, and I wouldn't have had the support I had in Georgia."

Williams said his gratitude for the opportunity to train as a mixed martial artist extends to other aspects of his life.

"The Air Force has allowed me to finish my education," Williams said. "I finished my bachelor's degree this year and my associates as well this year. I'm able to provide for my family, I have a team everywhere I go, and I've been to various leadership schools. Everything the Air Force has provided for me has been a direct influence on my success right now."

Williams says he plans to separate from the active-duty force soon and hopes to join the Air Force Reserve to focus his attention on other aspects of his life. In hopes of training for more fights, continuing his education, and following his heart into the information technology industry, Williams said he looks forward to future moments he has with the Air Force.

"It's a never-ending story. Once in the Air Force, you're always Air Force," Williams said. "I will continue to pursue my goals, to pursue my dreams and always keep my affiliation with the Air Force."