Commando clash: SAS vs US Marine: The forgotten fight that left one of them flat on the floor.
Credit: Antiquary, Shutterstock
A recently resurfaced real-life scrap settled a pressing pub debate: who’d win in a straight-up fight — an SAS soldier or a US Marine? And yes, it actually happened. You think you know the answer. Read on… and find out if you’re right.
Back in the belly of the 1990s, when everything was either extreme or inflatable, a gloriously bonkers event called the Commando Knockout Challenge took place — and what happened inside that ring still has jaws dropping today.
The year was 1998. The place? A pentagon-shaped boxing ring (because of course it was). The concept? Universal Warriors — a little-known fight promotion company — decided to pit elite soldiers from around the globe against each other in a military melee for the ages.
Forget diplomatic alliances — this was boots, bravado and bare knuckles.
The main event? A no-holds-barred brawl between Britain’s best and America’s finest. In one corner stood Carl Richardson, a chiselled 5’9”, 171-pound former SAS instructor with fists like battering rams. In the other, Matthew Ortiz, a 5’11”, 168-pound US Marine Recon man built like a fighter jet in boots. Let the trash talk commence.
“I’m gonna bring America back to Britain and show [them] who’s boss,” sneered Richardson with the swagger of a man who’s seen off more than his fair share of pub fights and hostile takedowns.
Not to be outdone, Ortiz fired back: “We kicked the British out once – and we’ll do it again.” Spoiler alert: they didn’t.
What followed was less Queensberry Rules, more Queensbury bruises. In a furious flurry of fists that left commentators wondering if gloves were optional, Richardson battered Ortiz from pillar to post before flattening him with a knockout punch that could’ve registered on the Richter scale. It was brutal.
Even nearly 20 years later, the clip resurfaced and stunned viewers anew. “It was the ‘90s,” wrote Business Insider in a nostalgic nod to the wild era of televised carnage. It has recently been doing the rounds on the internet again, with many viewers pointing out that neither the SAS nor the US Marines are ring fighters. Still, many are holding onto the event as undying proof that you just can’t mess with the SAS. If you do, you’re going down like a cheeky pint at half-time. Simples.
The British Army Museum wouldn’t exactly be shocked either. “The Special Air Service (SAS) is famous around the world,” it notes. “Its highly trained men are renowned for their skills in covert surveillance, close-combat fighting and hostage rescue.” Apparently, that includes flattening US Marines on live TV.
The event was dressed up with full Americana kitsch — right down to scorecards that read USA vs The World. But on the night, it was the SAS who brought home the glory, the guts and the glamour, but respect as always has to go to both fighters. The US Marine Recon are a legendary outfit. Will there be a repeat? Don’t mess with the SAS.
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