Mixed martial arts fighting is not for the faint hearted. It takes effort and full-time dedication to be the best of the best in the octagonal cage. As for Senior Airman Mark Wirth, 819th RED HORSE Squadron structural engineer, he's got the motivation and dedication to rise from amateur to professional fighter. Wirth grew up in Fresno, California, where he got into a lot of fights as a child. He practiced backyard boxing and watched ultimate fighter shows which made him determined to take it further. "I started watching the ultimate fight shows and it got me interested in wanting to better myself," said Wirth. "It seemed like those guys were like superheroes almost. I wanted that feeling." Wirth started out practicing Muay Thai at a …show more content…
"Times were getting tough so I had to push (my training) aside and think about my family more so we looked into the military." Wirth joined the Air Force but still continued to follow his passion for fighting, even after being stationed in Japan. He found a gym off base owned by a local Japanese man who took Wirth under his wing. The man taught Wirth more basics of fighting and Jiu Jitsu. That is when he found out about Friday night fights. The fights consisted of Japanese boxers and kickboxers, whom Wirth fought against with a not so surprising outcome. "I won every single one," said Wirth. "All of my boxing and kickboxing matches." He was doing so well, the owner wanted to see how far Wirth wanted to go. "The owner of the gym offered me a professional MMA fight but I wasn't ready," said Wirth. "I felt like I needed to do amateur MMA matches before doing professional MMA." Since then, Wirth has earned a combined record of eight wins and zero losses, holding a title belt for the 125 pound fly weight division for Fight Force, a group he fights for. Wirth is a dedicated man with a dream to pursue professional fighting. He will continue to do what it takes to become professional until it begins to interfere with his wife and two kids, ages five and