Dolton Soldier Places First in Cruiserweight at 2011 Army National Combatives Championship

Related Media

Sgt. Aoutneil Magny of Dolton, with the 708th Medical Company, took first place in the cruiserweight division in the 4th Annual 2011 Army National Guard Combatives Championship finals March 19 and 20

SPRINGFIELD, IL (03/23/2011)(readMedia)-- Not every great fighter has to be an infantry grunt; every Soldier has the potential to be an expert in hand-to-hand combat. All they need is two fists and a fighting spirit to sustain them in the ring.

Sgt. Aoutneil Magny of Dolton, a communications specialist with the 708th Medical Company in North Riverside, took first place in the cruiserweight division of the 4th Annual 2011 Army National Guard Combatives Championship finals at the Hector Santiago Fitness Center on Fort Benning, Ga., March 19 and 20.

More than 100 Soldiers from 15 states competed in the tournament to prove battle-readiness in mixed martial arts. The fighters were broken down into seven weight classes, ranging from flyweight at 125 pounds and under to heavyweight at 205 pounds and up.

Magny was one of 14 Soldiers on the Illinois Army National Guard's combatives team. The 708th Soldier said he has been training since he was 13 years old when he started wrestling. Since then he expanded his fighting skills by adding kick boxing and jujitsu. Now, Magny trains under Torres Martial Arts Academy in Hammond, Ind.

"It felt good to win for a change," said Magny. "I placed third in both the All-Army and All-Guard tournaments in 2010."

Magny had to challenge Sgt. Aaron West of Braidwood, with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Urbana, a fellow Illinois combatives team member for the first place spot.

"Challenging a fellow Soldier on my team isn't easy, but I look at it as a training opportunity," said Magny. "I focus on the challenge of it, so I can become a better fighter."

The Modern Army Combatives Program consists of various fighting styles including Jiu-Jitsu, Judo, Freestyle wrestling, and Muay Thai kickboxing. Depending on a fighter's strength in a particular style, the opponent may have to use a different fighting style to overcome their opponent's advantage whether standing or on the ground.

If Soldiers find themselves unarmed during an imminent enemy encounter, close-quarters combatives are pivotal skills to stay alive in combat. The purpose of the competition is to establish the best military fighters. It also draws a crowd, which Soldiers use as motivation to keep training.

Magny said combatives is exciting and a challenging sport and also gives a Soldier, male or female, an advantage on the battlefield. A Soldier can protect themselves and others no matter what the situation.

Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Adam Fischman, Illinois National Guard Public Affairs/ Illinois Guardsman Sgt. Aoutneil Magny of Dolton, with the 708th Medical Company in North Riverside took first place in the cruiserweight division in the 4th Annual 2011 Army National Guard Combatives Championship finals at the Hector Santiago Fitness Center on Fort Benning, Ga., March 19 and 20. Magny was one of 14 Soldiers on the Illinois Army National Guard's combatives team.