Cage fighting: Hero Para getting to grips with combat of a different kind

I got this articalfrom the stafford shire website.Many people in the arm forces around the world are into MMA and several compete in there off time from the service.The military is trained for combat they can test there skills to see who is the better fighter. Here is the artical by cage fighting peter smith

A HERO paratrooper is determined to live up to his reputation as the toughest newcomer in a sport full of hard cases.

Private Adam Randle, who is from Northwood, has been shot at in Sangin, one of most dangerous towns in Afghanistan, and also served on the front-line in Iraq.

But now the 25-year-old is preparing to put his hand-to-hand combat skills to the test at Liquid nightclub in Hanley for the second bout of his burgeoning alternative career.

The brawler in the Red Beret will take on Lancashire's Lee Garret in Night Of The Gladiators 7 tomorrow – and has vowed to put on a show for his home crowd.

"I'm quick on my feet and strong in the punch and the kick," said the Stafford-born contender who is currently stationed in Colchester.

"Many have tried to put me down and all have failed. I can't wait to get in there to get the job done.

"I was already fit, but the extra training has been intense and I am ready to take on anyone."

Randle was in a group of soldiers ambushed by the Taliban in 2006 when his colleague, 19-year-old Private Damien Jackson, was fatally wounded.

Randle was commended for his bravery for helping to drag his friend through the gunfire to a ditch to administer emergency first aid before rejoining the fight.

He later learnt of his friend's death, and although a coroner praised his "unthinking courage", the modest veteran insists his actions were nothing out of the ordinary.

"People might have called me a hero," he said, "but I just do my job. I couldn't imagine being any other way. I live life on the edge."

The all-action hero has also been an international bobsled racer, and missed out on an appearance at last year's Winter Olympics in Vancouver after pulling a hamstring.

But the setback had a silver-lining when friends persuaded the sidelined Para him to have a go at cage fighting instead.

Two months later he made a crunching debut at the Victoria Hall in Hanley, stopping his rival in just two rounds to send the crowd wild.

"I'm trained in unarmed combat, but it was totally different to anything I have ever done before – and I loved the buzz," said Randle, who is due to end his nine-year career with the Paras this summer.

"I was introduced to bobsled through the Army and enjoyed competing at the top level for a couple of years, but I'm not going back.

"Instead I'm going to Thailand soon to take some Thai boxing sessions because I want the skills to go as far as I can in cage fighting. I just love that rush of adrenaline."

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