Smoking Guns: Firefighters, Law Enforcement Participate In Charity MMA, Boxing Event In Tulsa

Firefighters and law enforcement officers are going toe-to-toe in the ring for charity.

Smoke & Guns IX is on Saturday, April 27th at 7 p.m. at the BOK Center and the event is put on by the nonprofit 918 Fully Involved.

"To see two people, just everyday people that get up and do their job in such a selfless way, get in the ring and do something without getting paid for it, to do it to benefit other people, and to do it in a way that is entertaining, I think that is what gets people every year," said Vice President Matt Condry.

Proceeds from the fight benefit Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp and Special Olympics of Oklahoma. Maverik Parker, a Sapulpa firefighter, is on the Smoke & Guns IX card in the Welterweight division.

"Applications came out for Smoke & Guns and I filled one out and here we are," he said. "We have been preparing to fight for 6 or 7 months now," said Parker.

Parker is training at The Factory Grappling Club.

"We have been sparring, grappling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, a little bit of wrestling. With MMA, it is a little bit of everything," he said.

The Factory's owner Clay Marrs has been preparing law enforcement officers and firefighters for the fight since its inception in 2012. Parker's father Brett was one of Marrs' first Smoke & Guns fighters. "He was training here and I was coming up every now and then when I was probably 15 or 16," Parker said.

Now, the roles on the mat are reversed, but his role model remains the same.

"My dad is a first-generation firefighter, and I grew up around it," he said. "Sapulpa Fire was my main goal coming out of high school and that is what I wanted to do."

Parker continues to follow in Dad's footsteps all the way to the Smoke & Guns ring.

"They want to challenge themselves and certainly they want to support charities," Condry said. "First responders are pretty selfless people by nature, so to get in and do something for charity comes pretty naturally to these guys."

There are 16 fights on the Smoke & Guns IX card. New at this year's event is a Patriot Fight between members of the Oklahoma Army National Guard and Oklahoma Air National Guard.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at BOKCenter.com