Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Prete, a defense courier and MMA fighter stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, trains at Alpha Reversal Gym in Tachikawa, April 12, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan – An Air Force courier from this airlift hub in western Tokyo plans to deliver decisive blows next month during his first professional MMA fight.
Staff Sgt. Charles Prete handles sensitive documents for Defense Courier Station Yokota, but in his spare time trains and fights in MMA. After 11 years competing as an amateur, he is scheduled to step inside the squared circle May 21 as a professional at the GEN Sports Palace in Tokyo.
Fighting as a pro is “a bucket list item,” Prete, who grew up in a military family, told Stars and Stripes on April 6. A seasoned fighter, he said the reality of MMA combat nonetheless comes in a fresh wave with every bout.
“Everything is good until you actually step into the ring and then you realize what you’re actually doing,” he said. “You realize in the ring that this person is trying to hurt me and we’re not playing around anymore.”
A promoter with MMA fight organizer Fighting Nexus offered Prete a professional match after seeing some of his amateur bouts, said Prete’s trainer, Masanori Kanehara of Alpha Reversal Gym in Tachikawa, by phone April 6. Prete trains three to four times a week in kickboxing and MMA at Alpha Reversal.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Prete, a defense courier and MMA fighter stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, prepares to train at Alpha Reversal Gym in Tachikawa, April 12, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Prete, a defense courier and MMA fighter stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, trains at Alpha Reversal Gym in Tachikawa, April 12, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Air Force Staff Sgt. Charles Prete, left, a defense courier and MMA fighter stationed at Yokota Air Base, Japan, trains at Alpha Reversal Gym in Tachikawa, April 12, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Kanehara, another MMA fighter, is training Prete for the upcoming bout against Tababa Takahiro of Tokyo. Takahiro, a professional super heavyweight, has two wins and five losses and is ranked 839th of 1,353 active fighters in Japan, according to Tapology.com.
Prete is also a super heavyweight with no wins and one loss as an amateur.
Kahenara has Prete focus on sparring to rebuild his body and make the most of his essential strength.
“We are training to build up his physical strength for the next match,” Kanehara said.
Prete’s edge is his power and his large body; “that’s something Japanese people don’t have,” Kanehara said.
MMA is the culmination of all martial arts, Prete said. Each fighter brings a unique skill set to the ring.
“It’s as close to combat that we’re going to get without actually killing anyone,” Prete said.
Prete’s interest in MMA started in high school, where he learned taekwondo to defend himself against bullies, he said. Taekwondo taught him how to punch, kick and knee his opponents.
“I know my weakness – the ground,” Prete said. “So, I’ve been working a lot on my ground game, so that at least I feel competent so that if I am on the ground, I have an idea of what to do and how to get back up on my feet.”
A standard MMA competition consists of three, five-minute rounds with one-minute intervals; title fights are five, five-minute rounds with one-minute intervals, according to sidekickboxing.com. A referee will stop a fight if a fighter taps out, is knocked out or can no longer defend themselves.
Win or lose, what matters is how he performs in the ring, Prete said.
“I’m fine with losing but if I do, I want to lose well,” he said. “I want to give a good fight; I want to give a good show, especially for my MMA debut.”
Stars and Stripes reporter Hana Kusumoto contributed to this report.
