Andrew Benjamin with his three cornermen. From L to R: Derek Henke, Ken Greer, and Josh Greer.

Andrew Benjamin with his three cornermen. From L to R: Derek Henke, Ken Greer, and Josh Greer.

It’s not every day that a DLJ reporter gets ready to throw hands in an MMA fight. That’s what reporter Andrew Benjamin did on Saturday, Oct 19 in Grand Forks. Fighting for Throne MMA, Andrew won his MMA debut in 35 seconds in the first round by armbar submission. While we previously interviewed Andrew and he said he was prepared to throw punches and kicks, he did not throw one strike.

As soon as the fight began, Andrew’s opponent threw a kick which he caught with his hand. He drove into his opponent and got a top mount position. His opponent tried sweeping him with a headlock. As his opponent stood up, Andrew transitioned quickly to an armbar and his opponent tapped and the fight was called off.

After his match, Andrew thanked his team, Progressive Martial Arts and spoke about men’s mental health awareness.

“This is an experience that will never be equaled and I want to thank everyone who helped me achieve my first win in this tough sport,” Andrew told the Journal.