MMA stars "Train the Troops" at military bases in recent visits across the U.S.

To my right, UFC fighter Tim Credeur and top Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and trainer Tim "Panda" Burill are demonstrating a particularly vicious guillotine choke/neck crank hybrid.  

"This is grimy, bro," Credeur tells the students gathered around him. "Like if you were in my gym and did this, you'd be taking a day off grimy, but for you guys this is a perfect way to end the fight."

Behind me I can hear UFC fighter Jorge Rivera explaining how to turn someone when you have them locked up in a Muay Thai clinch.

"Turn their head like it was a steering wheel," Jorge says while demonstrating on his striking coach Matt Phinney. "They'll move where you want them to go. Make sure you are keeping that good space you need and then right back to that knee we talked about a minute ago."

In front of me, UFC lightweight contender Gray Maynard and the WEC's Damacio Page have their students working a takedown that looks more to me like a football tackle than your normal double leg.  

"Put your head right in the center his chest and drive!" Damacio tells the students.

"You want to be like a freight train running right through the guy; flatten him," Maynard chimes in as one of the students looks at him while slightly unsure of the technique. "When you get there, you are driving him right into the wall behind him.

"Hit him hard; don't give him a chance," Maynard finishes with no hint of sarcasm.

"So you're going to take the knife and you're going to drive it right into their stomach," I hear Tim Kennedy, Strikeforce middleweight contender and Army Special Forces sniper, screaming from my left. "This is the finishing blow you want to end with, so you drive it in."

Kennedy continues, mimicking a lethal stab into the stomach of pro fighter and seven-time Marine combat veteran John "Voodoo" Walsh's stomach.  

"Once you drive it in, you're going to turn it over quickly, in the shape of a C. Then, keeping the knife blade level, you're going to drive it all the way to the other side of his body.

"It's called a C-cut," Kennedy says licking the plastic knife. "Alright, let's practice it!"  

Kennedy finishes up as the group of 20 or so Marines around him eagerly grab plastic knives to practice the skill.
    
This scene, or one similar to it, would play out five other times over the course of three days during last week's first ever "Train the Troops."

Covering over 1,500 miles, three Marine Corps bases, and 500 Marines, the event brought together top MMA fighters and deploying Marines to help get them ready for combat. Lex McMahon (son of the late Ed McMahon), the event's architect and a former Devil Dog himself, thought up the event as he was signing fighters to sponsorship deals with Cash4Gold.com (www.cash4gold.com).  

"As I was going through the process, I thought how much some of the skills fighters used in the cage could benefit troops on the battlefield," McMahon said. "The more I thought about it, the more it made sense to try and get the two worlds together."

The next call he made was to Nick Palmisciano, President and CEO of Ranger Up Military and MMA Apparel.

"It was a no brainer," Palmisciano, an Army veteran himself, said when he heard of the idea. "Today's fight is up close and personal, and story after story is coming from the battlefield where U.S. troops are fighting hand to hand. So many of the skills that are used in MMA are also applicable to that sort of fight."

A couple of calls to various friends of both companies netted the fighters previously mentioned. Tahi Burns and U.S. Olympic boxing coach Seb Zwede came on board soon after. Then MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) contributor Kelly Crigger put in a call to MMA legend Matt Lindland and the roster of trainers was complete. The event started at Camp Pendleton, moved to Miramar Air Station (Fightertown USA for all you Top Gun fans), and ended at the Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Ariz.

"These guys came to train, they're in great shape, and they listen," Credeur exclaimed after one session, summing up the mood of the Marines perfectly. "I wish all my students were like them."

During the meet and greets after each session, the troops found out the fighters were just as much a fan of them.

"Thank you for all that you do; thank you for your service," Rivera told the Marines snaking through the line to get pictures and autographs.  

The Marine in front of him looked up, a little shocked and confused.
 
"You guys are the real thing; keep it up," Jorge told the Marine as the he continued down the line towards the other fighters and trainers.

"Thanks, man," the Marine replied with a gigantic smile on his face.

The event was a massive success. So much so that both McMahon and Palmisciano are already thinking about doing another one, this time on the East Coast.  
    
"We're absolutely going to repeat this after the holidays, most likely starting with Ft. Bragg and Camp Lejuene," Palmisciano said as the final session ended. "Events like these are the reason we started Ranger Up. This has been absolutely awesome."
    
If the new events are anything like this past week, it will be something the troops and fighters alike won't soon forget.

Train the Troops would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the event: Ranger Up Military and MMA Apparel, Cash4Gold.com, Xtreme Couture GI Foundation, "MMA for Dummies," Oak Grove Technologies, AdapTx Labs, and REIShoppe.com.

Check out more UFC News at MMAjunkie.com. This story originally appeared on MMAjunkie.com and is syndicated on Yahoo! Sports as part of a content-partnership deal between the two sites.