The UFC's Custom Car Brings in a Staggering 350k to Benefit the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund

Looks like a nice car, doesn’t it? It’s certainly something I wouldn’t mind driving around the town. However, it’s a bit out of my price range…and I’m sure just about everyone else’s too. What you’re looking at is a custom-made UFC-branded Chevrolet Camaro that was recently auctioned off for charity at a massive $350,000 price point. Here are all the details.

According to SPEED, the custom Camaro was made via a tandem effort that saw the UFC match up with Findlay Customs and Modern Muscle Las Vegas. The “limited edition supercar” features a 650-horsepower supercharged V8 engine. The winning bid came courtesy of Shannon West of Grand Junction, Colorado, who had this to say: “I love the car, but I really love the cause”. Every single cent of the proceeds from the auction will go to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which according to their website, is a not-for-profit organization whose focus is to “provide financial support for the dependents of United States military personnel lost in performance of their duty.”

The UFC has been proud supports of the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund in the past. Their “UFC: Fight for the Troops” special, a Fight Night LIVE event designed to raise money for the organization, reportedly raised four million dollars during its three-hour broadcast. In a bit of cosmic irony that just about everybody found not funny in the slightest, the event saw several heinous injuries. Razak Al-Hassan had his arm broken. Yoshiyuki Yoshida was on the wrong side of a highlight-reel KO courtesy of Josh Koscheck of all people. Corey Hill received one of the most gruesome injuries in MMA history when his leg snapped like a twig. A total of seven fighters were sent to the hospital as a result of their injuries on the card. In addition to the three mentioned above, Brandon Wolff, Jonathan Goulet, and Nate Loughran all got up close and personal with a hospital bed as a result of the injuries they sustained.

I’m really glad that UFC President Dana White and the other UFC head honchos are so adamantly supporting this cause. I think it’s an amazing cause, and that those behind it don’t get nearly enough credit. I firmly believe that no matter what you think about wars both past and present, veterans need to be taken care of. Any efforts to further that goal I’ll more than likely agree with.

The thing I like most about this is that I honestly don’t believe it’s PR for the sake of PR. Far too often you see major companies give and give generously just to get their names on an award or plaque, or to get some positive press, or worse yet, as some sort of glorified plea bargain for past or even current wrong-doings. I think not-for-profit organizations with good causes, like this cause, should take their donations however they can get it, but that doesn’t mean that I’ll forgive a company for their actions just because they open their wallets and give to charity. This is not the case with the UFC and the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

I honestly believe that the UFC, and Dana White in particular, supports this charity because he/they believe in it, not because it gets him/them good press. And for that, all I can say is “thank you”. Dana White may be a lightning rod of controversy until the day he dies, but I don’t think anyone can ever say that he’s just another slimeball corporate yes-man dancing to the tune of his masters. Dana White is real, and honest, and supports a great cause. So, yeah, you can call me a fan of the man. Most of the time. And especially right now.

But what about you, fans and friends? How do you feel about the UFC’s continuing support for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund? And, just for fun, if you had $350,000 burning a hole in your pocket, would you have purchased this car?