Local firefighter, police officer win MMA bouts
Highland was 2-0 at the recent Budweiser Guns ’N Hoses event at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
Highland-Pierron firefighter Jerry Greenwood and Highland police officer Nathan Biggs both won their mixed martial arts (MMA) matches at the event, which pits police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel from Missouri and Illinois against one another to raise money for families of their fallen comrades.
The 29th annual Guns ’N Hoses was held on Nov. 25. The event benefits The BackStoppers, a nonprofit organization that assists families of first responders who have died in the line of duty.
“It’s a good cause,” Biggs said.
Since its inception in 1987, Guns ’N Hoses has raised nearly $5 million to benefit The BackStoppers.
Greenwood, 33, has been with HPFD for two years. A graduate of Edwardsville High School, he and his wife moved to Highland around eight years ago, and he now operates an appraisal business here.
Biggs, 31, a native of Waterloo, joined the Highland Police Department last December after having served four years with the Carbondale Police Department.
Greenwood and Biggs both trained together for several months at the War Room in Wood River prior to their bouts.
Greenwood said the charitable aspect was the main reason he agreed to fight, but he also likes to mix it up.
“The Backstoppers is the main thing,” he said. “But it’s competitive, and I’ve always been competitive.”
He did have a little pause when his opponent was announced, Kyle Feldker, a first-responder with Granite City EMS.
“The guy I fought was 13 years younger than me,” Greenwood said.
Feldker also had a black belt in jujitsu and had been in both boxing and kickboxing matches before.
“It was nerve-racking before, but I knew it would be worth it afterward,” Greenwood said.
Greenwood’s fight went the distance, but judges awarded him the victory.
“I controlled him for most of the match,” Greenwood said.
This was actually Greenwood’s second MMA fight. He was victorious in his first one as well, but will likely go out on top.
“I think I’m going to retire,” he said. “Thirty-three is old enough. I don’t need to be fighting anybody any more.”
This was the third career match for Biggs. He fought two bouts while in college, but was 0-2.
“It wasn’t my day at the time,” he said.
But at Guns ’N Hoses Biggs got in the win column with a TKO in the second round over Scott Lilly, a paramedic from St. Louis.
“My opponent was 23. I told him he was doing it at the right age,” Biggs said
But Biggs said he plans on getting into the octagon again.
“I think I’ve got a few fights left in me,” Biggs said.
And you can count him in for Guns ’N Hoses 2016.
“Oh yeah,” he said.
This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 3:27 AM with the headline "Local firefighter, police officer win MMA bouts."