What started as a plan to find the toughest mixed martial artists with a military background has become a battle for battalion bragging rights – and the two Marine veterans set to square off on New Year's Eve in New York City wouldn't have it any other way.


Shane Kruchten (11-3 in the cage; formerly of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines) will face Jeremy Mahon (5-4, 1-5 Marines) on Saturday as part of World Series of Fighting 34 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, the promotion's first show in the Big Apple. Both are combat-seasoned infantrymen who took part in the initial battles of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Pro MMA fighter and Marine veteran Shane Kruchten. (courtesy of World Series of Fighting)

Marine veteran Shane Kruchten will make his return to the MMA cage after a long absence to fight a fellow Marine vet Dec. 31 in New York City.

Photo Credit: MMA World Series of Fighting

"He was an [noncommissioned officer] while I was a lance corporal," said Kruchten. "We invaded the country together as 5th Marines, so it’s kind of funny that 13 years later, two guys from the ‘Fighting Fifth’ are now going to put it on in the middle of the decagon in Madison Square Garden."


For the non-MMA inclined, the WSOF ring has two more sides than the UFC's octagon. The organization also has somewhat less of a fan base, which contributed to the decision to move the original Kruchten-Mahon bout off its scheduled Nov. 12 date in Colorado. Otherwise, it would've gone up against UFC 205, the larger promotion's mega-card from MSG.


That initial WSOF card, set for Loveland, Colorado, would've featured other military fighters as part of the promotion's "Who's the Toughest" contest, in which the WSOF solicited applications from MMA prospects with military backgrounds, regardless of in-ring experience. Instead, the lone fight will feature military veterans who happen to be veteran fighters.

Marine veteran Jeremy Mahon participated in the initial invasion of Iraq and was an early instructor in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sunshine Sachs

Mahon has wins in the Bellator and Legacy Fighting Championship promotions in addition to top-tier coaching experience, while Kruchten was on an 11-fight win streak until a submission loss to Mike Corey at WSOF 9 in 2014.


"This fight's going to be a war," Mahon said of the catchweight (150-pound) bout. "It's going to be a bloody mess, and I think we're both going to come up smiling at the end of it. This is going to be a chance for the world to see what two combat-infantry 5th Marines love to do."


BACK IN ACTION

Kruchten, a Purple Heart recipient who celebrated his 18th birthday in uniform in Baghdad, hasn't fought since that WSOF 9 defeat.


"My life was kind of a scramble," he said. "I had a newborn baby at the time, so training, and life, just everything was chaotic. I told [WSOF], 'I need to be a dad. I'd like to pursue professional grappling. I'll be back, if you allow me.' [WSOF President] Ray Sefo said, 'Absolutely.'"

Mahon hasn’t fought since his Bellator victory, a second-round stoppage of Davis Sylvester, also a Marine veteran. He’s been nursing a knee injury, but said he didn’t want to miss the chance to enter the ring with a fellow infantryman.


"I can't think of anything better to spend my New Year's Eve doing than punching this guy in the face and him doing the same to me," said, who was an instructor in the early days of the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program. "When it's all said and done, I'm expecting to have some beers with the guy at the end of the night."


Kruchten's got a three-inch height advantage on Mahon and boasts more professional wins via submission than Mahon has in total. Mahon said he hopes to keep the fight off the ground and rely on his striking, strengthened by time in the ring as a kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter.


Both men predicted victory. And both took pride in the fact that, at least when it came to one promotion's attempt to determine "Who's the Toughest," the end result features only one service branch.


"I think they picked the best of the best," Kruchten said. "C'mon now. We're Marines."

About Kevin Lilley

Kevin Lilley is the features editor of Military Times.

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