The Las Vegas Veteran

Military Veterans find connection through exercise.

Merging Vets and Players (MVP) Las Vegas is an organization that works to bring military combat veterans and retired professional athletes together to facilitate peer-to-peer support and community. The Las Vegas location offers jujitsu and engaging workouts to veterans transitioning out of the military into civilian life.

MVP was started in 2015 in Los Angeles, California, by sports reporter Jay Glazer and former Green Beret Nate Boyer. After the success of their first location in Los Angeles, Army veteran, actor, and former MMA fighter Randy Couture offered his gym in Las Vegas, Nevada, to grow the program.

Bruno Moya is the program coordinator at the non-profit’s Las Vegas location. Moya was in the Marines from 2001 to 2008, deployed to Iraq, and has since spent his time advocating for veterans. While in his graduate studies for social work at the University of Nevada Las Vegas, he connected with MVP and got involved with their program. “I fell in love with what MVP did and found it meaningful. They focus on giving veterans mission, identity, and purpose,” Moya said.

The group works out every Friday at 5 pm at the Xtreme Couture MMA gym with a combination of jujitsu-fused training and challenging routines. Moya explained that the exercises are “community and connection-based, ” allowing veterans to feel connected and motivated while teaming up. The jujitsu training is what Moya really enjoys, as it helps him personally. “The workouts are challenging, but they translate into life lessons we use to tackle real-life problems.”

MVP welcomes all combat veterans to join their program by visiting their website and applying. Veterans can find a list of authorized campaign medals on the site and instructions for sending in proof of service. The non-profit also accepts donations on its website, whether through merchandise purchases or monetary contributions.