LOS ANGELES — Will Pounder has announced that he will deliver a motivational address to a group of Marine recruits on Saturday in a private event. A former Marine himself, Pounder will be specifically addressing a group of poolees, who are individuals who have signed up to become a Marine but have not yet left for 13 weeks of recruit training.
In this private event, Pounder plans to discuss his military experience and the challenges he overcame to become an award-winning adult performer, accomplished MMA fighter and fitness advocate.
As a Marine, the performer competed in martial arts on weekends while serving and taught the All-Marine Grappling Team, ran the All-Marine Competition Team at Camp Pendleton and started the jiu-jitsu club in Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in 2008.
Pounder’s passion for MMA continues today; “Jiu-jitsu has been a game changer in my life," he recently stated in an Instagram post.
Pounder’s military career came to an end after he was severely injured while carrying a fellow Marine with a sprained ankle; he later learned he had fractured his fifth lumbar (L5) vertebrae.
Two months after his honorable discharge, Pounder, who had hoped to return to practicing and teaching jiu-jitsu, found himself in blinding pain and disabled from the injury.
“I couldn’t move, and my weight got up to 255 pounds,” Pounder recalled. “I had to change my diet, re-learn how to walk and learn how to work out all over again.”
Pounder pushed himself to turn his health around and lost 55 lbs in three months while also regaining his mobility.
After appearing on the TV series “A Grunt’s Life,” Pounder joined the adult industry in 2017 and has since anchored over 140 scenes.
In 2019, he competed in a team grappling tournament televised by UFC Fight Pass, fighting on the team captained by former UFC welterweight, mixed martial artist and boxer Chris “Lights Out” Lytle.
As reported by XBIZ, Pounder sought out sponsors for his MMA work. His persistence paid off as he was recently named brand ambassador for the TestoGen fitness supplement from UK-based health and nutrition company Muscle Club.
"I joined the Marines because I knew I needed discipline to be a success in life, and to find my place and my purpose,” Pounder said. “The struggles I went through in life that have made me successful on multiple fronts all come from the values, work ethic and the ethos of the Marine Corps."
"I’m always more than happy to share my experiences with a new generation of Marines before they enter boot camp," he added.
Follow Pounder on Twitter for updates.
