UFC and Jared Allen's Charity Build a Home Gym for a Marine Veteran

The UFC's charitable arm has teamed up with Jared Allen's Homes for Wounded Warriors again, this time outfitting a custom home gym and physical therapy room for a disabled veteran in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. It's the second such build the promotion has funded through the non-profit, which has now completed 27 mortgage-free homes since launching in 2009, with four more under construction.

The recipient is Josh Wege, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal who enlisted in 2008 and deployed to Afghanistan as a member of the military police. His light armored vehicle struck an IED, leaving him a bilateral below-the-knee amputee. He later received a Purple Heart and the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal for bravery.

This isn't a gesture without teeth. Every JAH4WW home is custom-designed around the specific needs of the veteran who moves in, built to restore independence and mobility that combat took away. The UFC's contribution — strength-training equipment and a dedicated PT space — is aimed squarely at the part of recovery that never really ends.

Softball, Then a New Chapter

Wege hasn't slowed down since his injury. He's a founding member of the USA Patriots Amputee Athletics softball team, a competitive slow-pitch squad made up entirely of veterans who've lost limbs. He credits the team with giving him structure, camaraderie, and a way to stay active — and he now mentors amputee kids through the program.

He's also the fourth Patriots player to land a home through the organization, which suggests the pipeline between the softball roster and JAH4WW is more than coincidence. For Wege, the mortgage-free residence means he can focus on his family instead of a monthly payment.

JAH4WW was founded by NFL Hall of Famer Jared Allen after a USO tour of military bases in the Middle East. Executive Director Alex Karalexis said the UFC's ongoing commitment to equipping these homes has had a tremendous impact on the veterans it serves. The promotion and the charity plan to keep building injury-specific gyms and therapy rooms for veterans who opt in as part of their new homes.