On April 18th, 2015, Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran, Ultimate Fighter Season 1 alumni and former middleweight championship contender Nate The Rock Quarry returned to the cage at Rumble at the Roseland in Portland, Oregon. It was the first time we’d seen him fight since his TKO loss to Jorge Rivera at UFC Fight Night 21 in March of 2010.
While most people enter a mixed martial arts cage fight with their sights set on achieving glory, Quarry’s return to the cage was for far more altruistic reasons. The UFC vet, who compiled a respectable record of seven wins and three losses in the promotion, was there to help someone else achieve glory, while also contributing to a charitable cause.
Quarry’s opponent was 19 year old Newport, Oregon high school student Jake The Snake Beckman, who lives with Down syndrome and had dedicated the last four years of his life to mixed martial arts training. His dream, like that of many pull on the four ounce gloves, was to compete and test his skills.
In addition to helping Beckmann realize his dreams of competing, Nate Quarry helped raise $1,000 for CreateConnection.org, a website created by Beckmann’s mother to advocate for “personal empowerment for all people, regardless of diagnosis or physical challenge.”
Quarry fought valiantly, but in the end tapped out when Beckmann applied a heelhook, a submission he had practiced for some time. After the fight, Jake The Snake Beckmann was crowned ‘world heavyweight champion,’ and given a replica UFC title belt that was purchased with the help of a Go Fund Me page.
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Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.
