UFC President Dana White was honored with the Armed Forces Foundation Patriot Award last night at the 5th Annual Armed Forces Foundation Congressional Gala at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, D.C., for his support of United States troops.
He was among a group of about 200 in attendance, including Members of Congress, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and wounded troops from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center, among others, according to Fighters Only magazine.
The Patriot Award is given to people whose generous contributions to the military and their families go above and beyond the call of duty.
White and Co. raised more than $4 million in donations for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund through UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops," which emanated from the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, N.C., on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
"Fight for the Troops" paid tribute to the United States servicemen and women serving in the armed forces. Samuel L. Jackson, Jack Black, Charlie Sheen and other notable celebrities shot promos that aired on the Spike TV broadcast, urging viewers to call in and donate money to support the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
In addition, several heart-wrenching vignettes of injured and broken soldiers returning from battle were inserted between to fights to demonstrate the need for a treatment center. In fact, donations will be used to create a state-of-the-art facility in Bethesda, Md., for wounded soldiers who suffer from various combat-related head injuries such as Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI).
"Fight for the Troops" featured two welterweight clashes between Josh Koscheck and Yoshiyuki Yoshida, as well as Mike Swick against Jonathan Goulet. It was a solid night of mixed martial arts action on several fronts, but it came at a physical cost for several of the fighters.
In fact, Corey Hill sustained a gruesome leg fracture in the second round of his preliminary bout against Dale Hartt. He underwent successful surgery to repair the damage at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and will be on the mend for about 12 to 18 months.
For the entire list of those wounded click here. For complete results and coverage of UFC Fight Night 16: "Fight for the Troops" click here and here.
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