BETTENDORF, Iowa — A Quad City man is looking back on his experience one year ago as the capitol riots unfolded Jan. 6, 2021.
Pat Miletich is a UFC world champion and MMA fighter who made the trip to Washington, D.C.
"That day in Washington D.C., I went there," Miletich said. "I went there and all the people I talked to, which were people of all walks of life."
Miletich said it was a time of people coming together.
"All they were talking about was election integrity and freedom," Miletich said.
The fight for freedom turned into a moment in history.
"The thing that actually motivated me to go was thinking about my children's freedoms," Miletich said.
Miletich came from the rally and walked to the capitol.
"There was no talk of violence," Miletich said. "It was a love fest."
He watched as people stormed the capitol.
"When that took place, myself and my friends all looked at each other and said, nope, it's too obvious, the optics don't look good," he said.
Miletich said he wasn't a part of the chaos, but in the days to follow, the 15-year sports broadcaster faced a fire-storm of his own.
"Suddenly there was an uproar that I had been responsible for some sort of domestic terrorism and a supporter of white supremacy, which is a joke," Miletich said.
He lost his job working for a digital MMA sports broadcasting company.
"I did nothing but show up and express my first amendment rights," he said.
One year later his passion remains with the country's future.
"To me, that's what's most important," he said. "What kind of world are we going to leave our children."
He feels it's a dire time across the country.
"We've got serious problems on our hands if citizens can't come together and understand who the real enemy is, the problems are never going to be solved," Miletich said.
Miietich said he'll continue to speak out about national freedoms.
He works as a freelance sports broadcaster and trains law enforcement and military. He also runs civilian self-defense classes.