PUEBLO * While stationed at Camp Carroll in Daegu, South Korea, Hector Leon tried keeping himself motivated for his next mixed martial arts fight, whenever it would be.

Caleb Crump had to overcome a torn ACL before he got back into the cage.

Both fighters will be looking to overcome losses on Saturday at Massari Arena in Pueblo at Top Shelf Entertainment’s Rubicon V.

Both fighters also train in Colorado Springs under Gilbert Smith at Victory MMA and Hustle Hard Boxing gym.

Leon (3-1 amateur record as a bantamweight), is still in the Army, stationed at Fort Carson since March.

Knowing he’d be shipped to Colorado Springs, the 24-year-old started searching for local gyms so he could get back into the cage.

It didn’t take long to find the one he hoped would fit.

“I recognized Gilbert from the previous seasons of ‘The Ultimate Fighter,’” said Leon, who made weight Friday at 134.8 pounds. “I was looking around on the internet and found that he was out there close to where I was going to be at, and figured I would check it out. I felt like it was the place to be.”

Leon’s opponent Cole Griego, a late replacement, missed weight at 138.4. That didn’t faze Leon, and he understood the situation because of the late acceptance of the fight.

“I’ll fight anybody,” Leon said from the Clarion Inn after the official weigh-ins. “They can be any weight. I welcome all challengers.”

Crump (0-2 amateurs) lost by submission in his last bout. Before that, he suffered a torn ACL in his MMA debut. That injury took him more than a year to overcome.

“It was a lot. At first it was very depressing,” said Crump, who missed his senior season of college wrestling during the recovery. “I thought I was never going to compete again. … It sucks having to learn how to walk again, just going through the process.”

Eventually he got back into the cage, only to tap out in February. That prompted him to delve deeper into jiu-jitsu.

“I did my first jiu-jitsu tournament in June; I took first,” Crump said about a white-belt tournament. “I’m excited for this fight now.”

Smith will be cornering Crump and Leon.

“I love coaching,” said Smith, who left his gloves in the cage earlier this year after his loss on “TUF: Redemption.” “It really helps, keeps me young. I don’t just coach. I’m on the mat grinding, sweating, sparring with them. I’m not on the sideline just screaming orders. I try to give them coaching that I never received in my career.”

Leon opened his amateur career with three wins. Then he suffered his first defeat. That was nearly 2 1/2 years ago. That loss helped keep him hungry while he trained by himself in Daegu.

“I kind of got too confident, I felt like a superstar,” Leon said. “I think I just needed that humbling. So when I took that last loss it brought me back down to earth. And being away from the sport, it definitely instilled that hunger – this is definitely what I want to do.”

Jordan Titoni, who graduated from Pine Creek in 2006, made weight (145.2) for his featherweight bout, as did Dylan Stubblefield (143.4), a former Doherty High wrestler.

Stubblefield won the Rubicon amateur featherweight title in his last bout. He will fight Fernando Sanchez (missed weight at 149.4), while Titoni will fight Jake Mendez (145.8) in a pro bout.

Crump will fight newcomer Tyler Arvin (169.8).