Working as a gate guard at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, there were days when Chris Davis would stare at the combatives training building and think about the possibility of him one day joining the team.

As technical sergeant in the Washington Air National Guard's 215th Engineering Installation Squadron, Davis was eligible to join the team.

"I wondered if I could qualify," he said.

Those days are a nothing but a distant memory now, as Davis recently cemented his place on the team by notching a third-place finish in the middleweight division (170 pounds) in his fighting debut at the U.S. All-Army Combatives Tournament July 19-20 at Fort Hood, Texas. The Guard Airman lost in his third match to a former West Point wrestler who set the record at the Academy for the most career wins.

"I had a couple of opportunities (to win the fight)," said the 29-year-old, the only Air Force member of the combatives team.

But Davis had a lot to be proud of in his debut performance. His bracket was twice the size of the others, and Davis is confident he would have defeated the second place finisher if the two had faced off against each other. As it is, Davis defeated his teammate, Terry Smith, on his way to the third-place finish.

"It sucked running into him (in the bracket)," Smith said with a laugh. While it might have been Davis' first appearance at the combatives tournament, it's certainly not the Airman's first foray into competitive fighting.

He's been fighting as a professional in various mixed martial arts circuits since 2001, and has a career record of 6-0-0 with five submissions. His ring nickname is "The Hot Seat," and he trains with the Marcelo Alonso Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu gym in Fife.

While Davis admits he's no adrenaline junkie, there are similarities to life on the battlefield and life in the ring. "I deployed with the Army in 2003 and was in some combat situations," he said. "It's the same feeling when you enter the ring."