{"id":19800,"date":"2023-07-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-20T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=19800"},"modified":"2023-07-23T06:48:48","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T06:48:48","slug":"oklahoma-national-guard-soldier-harnesses-fighting-spirit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/?p=19800","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma National Guard Soldier Harnesses Fighting Spirit"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.
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\n Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.
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\n Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.
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\n Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.
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\n Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.
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TULSA, Okla. \u2013\u00a0An Oklahoma Army National Guard member, Spc. Justin Budd harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt saved me, (MMA) 100 percent it saved me,\u201d Budd said. \u201cMy family and friends would say it saved me. I\u2019m not saying I was a bad kid, but my inability to control my anger could have put me in an awful place if I didn\u2019t have something like this to keep me centered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Having tried various sports like wrestling to manage his emotions, it wasn\u2019t until Budd discovered MMA that he truly found an effective outlet. Budd firmly believes MMA provides an ideal avenue for individuals struggling with anger management or personal challenges.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you come in here, you expend a bunch of energy, you get humbled, and you release a bunch of emotions,\u201d Budd said. \u201cIt couldn\u2019t get healthier than that, and you\u2019re doing it in a controlled environment with a coach making sure you don\u2019t get hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

In February 2023, Budd made his professional MMA debut at Legacy Fighting Alliance 152 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, where he secured an impressive knockout victory in the first round. With seven years of MMA training, six while serving in the National Guard, Budd established himself as one of the state\u2019s most accomplished fighters. His exceptional amateur record of 10 wins to only two losses earned him the opportunity to turn professional.<\/p>\n

For Budd, both MMA and the National Guard offer platforms to aid and protect others.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that fighting for my country, fighting for my state, fighting for myself\u2014it all ties into validating that I can protect myself and others,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery time I\u2019ve been out, and I see somebody that needs help, I want to help. I\u2019ve volunteered for almost every SAD (State Active Duty) mission that\u2019s come up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Budd joined the Oklahoma Army National Guard in 2017 as a combat engineer. He is currently a member of the 244th Assault Helicopter Battalion, 245th Airfield Operations Battalion, 90th Troop Command, where he will train as an Aviation Operations Specialist.<\/p>\n

Budd actively contributed to various State Active Duty missions, including security operations during the 59th Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C., and assisting in preparing and distributing personal protective equipment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery time there\u2019s been a moment where Oklahoma\u2019s needed us, I go out there, and I volunteer because that\u2019s what I signed up for,\u201d Budd said. \u201cI want to help people. I like helping people.\u201d<\/p>\n

While continuing to serve his community through the Oklahoma National Guard, Budd relentlessly pursues personal growth within the realm of MMA. In his determination to set new heights, he\u2019s certainly not afraid of setting lofty goals.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, my goal is to be in the UFC,\u201d Budd said. \u201cBut the ultimate goal is UFC champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

By dedicating himself to military service and the pursuit of excellence in MMA, Justin Budd exemplifies strength and determination, demonstrating his commitment to positively impacting the lives of others both inside and outside the cage.<\/p>\n

Video<\/a>: Oklahoma National Guard Soldier Harnesses Fighting Spirit<\/p>\n

National Guard news<\/a><\/p>\n

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National Guard Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

1 \/ 5 Show Caption + Hide Caption \u2013 Spc. Justin Budd, a member of the Oklahoma Army National Guard from Tulsa, Oklahoma, harnessed his fighting spirit in an unconventional way. Battling with anger issues throughout his youth, Budd found purpose in Mixed Martial Arts, enabling him to transform his life. (Photo Credit: Sgt. Reece […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19802,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19800"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19808,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19800\/revisions\/19808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/19802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adn.monetizemail.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}