Email   Print   Share By Staff Sgt. Kyle Richardson, 41st Fires Bde. Public Affairs

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Sgt. Jason Reyes (blue), Fort Hood, and Staff Sgt. Lonnie Kincaid (red), Fort Riley, go toe-to-toe on the mats in the semi-final rounds in the heavyweight division during the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship Friday at Fort Hood. Reyes won the match with an arm-bar submission and moved on to the finals, where he finished as the runner-up to Fort Stewart’s Spc. Nathaniel Freeman. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Spc. Nathaniel Freeman (blue), Fort Stewart, repeatedly connects punches to the face of Sgt. Jason Reyes (red), Fort Hood, in the championship bout of the heavyweight division during the finals of the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship Saturday at Fort Hood. Reyes, the lightest heavyweight competing, finished in second place. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Before his semi-finals bout, Fort Hood fighter Sgt. Jason Reyes pauses for a quick prayer with III Corps head coach Jarrod Clontz and Staff Sgt. Colton Smith during the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship Friday at Fort Hood. After being taken to the ground, Reyes won with a submission from the bottom position. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

Sgt. Jason Reyes, Fort Hood, secures an arm-bar from the bottom position while working to submit Staff Sgt. Lonnie Kincaid, Fort Riley, in the semi-finals of the heavyweight division during the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship Friday. Reyes won the match to move on to the championship bout. Daniel Cernero, Sentinel Sports Editor

It was the final fight of the night and one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament. Sgt. Jason Reyes, in a calm but focused manner, crossed the platform to the cage. The referee inspected him from head to toe. He then applied a thin layer of petroleum jelly to Reyes’ face. He slowly walked through the open cage door. In a volcanic roar, the crowd erupted with cheers.

Spc. Nathaniel Freeman, a stout but massive competitor, stood in the blue corner patiently awaiting the only sound that matters – the starting bell.

At the sound of the ding, the two fighters ran toward each other. Out of respect for one another, they touched gloves and quickly separated during the championship heavyweight match of the 2012 U.S. Army Combatives Championship held at Fort Hood’s Abrams Physical Fitness Center Saturday.

Freeman, standing at 5-feet, 8-inches tall and 286 pounds, fighting for, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart Ga., wasted no time to pin Reyes, the taller fighter at 6-feet, 1-inch, to the steel fence.

Reyes, assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 41st Fires Brigade and fighting for the III Corps and Fort Hood combatives team, lacked the body weight like the other heavyweight contenders. He weighed in at 220 pounds, and although he put up a good fight and traded kick for kick and head shot for head shot, the heavier fighter took him to the ground for the advantage.

Out of the blue corner, Freeman’s coach yelled “Kisa Katame, Kisa Katame” and the fighter reacted. He positioned the majority of his weight on Reyes’ rib cage and went to isolate an arm. Reyes fought bravely from his back, attempting a well-needed submission, but Freeman was able to isolate his arm and began methodically delivering punches to Reyes’ head.

As the heavy hits connected like a hammer to a nail, Reyes showed his never-quit attitude and strong chin to hold out until the end of the round. The corner break only gave Reyes a reprieve from Freeman’s ground-and-pound session before he found himself on his back again in the second round.

The two fighters maneuvered their way around the cage, battled for the upper hand, but the referee called a stop to the energy-packed match. In the end, only one hand was raised. Freeman won the match by technical knock-out and was the new All-Army heavyweight champion.

“It was a good fight,” Reyes said, tired but not defeated in spirit. “I was the lightest heavyweight in the tournament. In the end, my weight counted against me. Now, that’s not to take away from Freeman’s abilities. He’s a really good guy and a tough opponent.”

At last year’s All-Army tournament, Reyes weighed-in at 185 pounds to fight in the cruiserweight division with a fourth-place finish.

Reyes started increasing his body-weight in March to fight in the light heavyweight division. The team lost its heavyweight, so he was asked to put on more weight to accommodate the team.

“There are no individuals on the team,” Reyes said. “I did what the team needed me to do. Most importantly, we’re here to get the trophy together, and that’s exactly what we did.”

As the smallest heavyweight, Reyes entered the tournament as the dark horse defeating his first two opponents in a stature like David against Goliath.

“A lot of people bow down to bigger opponents,” Reyes said. “I had to let them know that I wasn’t one to go out so easily.”

In his semi-final bout to advance to the championship bout, Reyes sent the gym into a frenzy with his improbable defeat of Staff Sgt. Lonnie Kincaid, on the team from Fort Riley, Kan.

With a slap that echoed through the gym setting the tone to start the match, Reyes quickly worked for a submission once on the ground.

Reyes found that submission in the form of an arm-bar.

In the finals, Freeman paid his respect to Reyes and was thankful for the opportunity to fight.

“I have a black belt in judo and a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu,” the heavyweight champion said. “Reyes has a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, so I’m always going to respect that, but the great thing about this sport is that anybody can be tapped out at any given time. It doesn’t matter if you’re a white belt or a black belt.”

Reyes’ combatives career began seven years ago when he joined the Army. As his experiences increase in combatives and martial arts, he considers it a way of life rather than a sport.

“I’ve been around the mats for a long time,” Reyes said, with his lean physique showing off his years of hard training. “To me, combatives and martial arts is more than just doing it, it’s a lifestyle. It’s about taking care of yourself and outdoing yourself from the last time. You have to be respectful and keep your head. You have to learn when to fight

and when to shut off your aggression.”

Reyes has dedicated himself to his Family, God and his training. He said it didn’t matter if he won or lost but that he did his best and made his Family proud. He plans on continuing to work with the Fort Hood combatives team and coaches and train for some of the upcoming amateur fights.

“Jason has grown through the years that I’ve worked with him,” said Jarrod Clontz, III Corps head coach.

“I used to be able to submit him when I wanted,” the coach said in a raspy voice from yelling instructions over the cheering crowd. “Now, I rarely submit him. His technical ability has blown through the roof, as well as his conditioning.”

While Reyes took second place in the heavyweight division, his fights during the tournament added to the Fort Hood combatives team overall score of 441 points for the first-place finish. The Fort Hood combatives team is the only post to win the tournament three years in a row.