FORT CAMPBELL, KY (WSMV) -
It's a competition where adrenaline is so high, participants said they can't even feel the pain and fatigue. Soldiers competed in cage fighting as part of Fort Campbell's Week of Eagles Wednesday, giving their all in a no-holds-barred test of hand-to-hand combat.
"All the brigades set up their own teams, then they all compete here to see who can duke it out the best," said soldier Christian Nielsen, minutes after competing in the Combative Finals. "I feed off the crowd. If the crowd's loud, it's like I don't even feel anything happening. I'm just out there putting on a show for them."
Even with the intensity and roar of the crowd, for Nielsen, the best part of the fight is the skills it brings to deploying soldiers.
"For the early part, we use our uniforms," Nielsen said. "You learn to use people's clothes against them. You can choke them with their own collars and things. It could save your life overseas.
The Fort Campbell Week of Eagles continues through Friday. A memorial for fallen soldiers takes place Thursday.
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