MMA with disabilities

[GeneChing]

I was going to say this might be an April Fool's prank, but it was posted yesterday.

Kyle Maynard, Congenital Amputee, to Make MMA Debut in Alabama on April 25
Submitted by Fight Ticker on March 31, 2009 - 8:07pm.
From a press release:

(Atlanta, GA, March 31, 2009) - One month after his 23rd birthday, Kyle Maynard will fulfill what has been a lifelong dream. He will compete in his first Amateur Mixed Martial Arts match. The match will take place on Saturday, April 25 in Auburn, AL at The Auburn Covered Arena in an event titled “Auburn Fight Night.”

Auburn Fight Night tickets and more information can be found at www.BattlePass.com.

Maynard, a congenital amputee with no elbows or knees, burst onto the national scene when he graduated from Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, GA with a wrestling record of 35-16 in his senior season and a 3.7 GPA. He is the recipient of a 2004 ESPN Espy Award for Best Athlete With A Disability and has been featured on many radio interviews, talk shows and television programs including The Oprah Winfrey Show and Larry King Live.

Currently he works as a speaker for the Washington Speaker's Bureau, specializing in motivational speeches. He is also the author of the memoir No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life.

In 2004, at the age of 18 while a student at The University of Georgia and a member of its club wrestling team, Maynard told a USA Today reporter “I’d love to fight in that” when pointing to a Randy Couture UFC poster hanging in his dorm room. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), is often times referred to as the pinnacle of Mixed Martial Arts fighting.

Maynard will get his first opportunity to fight in the sport of Mixed Martial Arts on Saturday, April 25 in Auburn, AL. He will become the first congenital amputee to compete in a Mixed Martial Arts match.

Maynard was originally hoping to fight in his hometown of Duluth, GA nearly two years ago. The fight did not occur due to the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission denying Maynard a license to fight. The state of Alabama has no Athletic Commission that governs the sport of Mixed Martial Arts.

“I’ve been promoting fights since 2002, nearly 50 events combined, and I’ve never seen someone with the drive that Kyle possesses,” said promoter David Oblas. “I’ve seen Kyle overcome every obstacle put in front of him and on Saturday, April 25 he will overcome yet another. This is something that Kyle has wanted to do for years now and something that I’m happy to help him achieve.”

Kyle Maynard added, “The first question that I receive from everyone is do I fear for my safety while fighting in the cage? Absolutely not. Despite my lack of limbs I can protect myself just as much as the average fighter. I have been preparing for this fight for years and I cannot wait for Saturday, April 25 to arrive. There is no challenge and no goal that I have worked as hard for as this one. I would like to thank all of my family, friends and training partners for their support as I enter the last 30 days of my training camp.”

For additional information and for ticket information regarding Auburn Fight Night please visit www.BattlePass.com. The Auburn Covered Arena will be configured to fit 7,000 people for this fight. Tickets are on sale for $20 in advance and $25 the day of the fights for General Admission. VIP tables of eight are available for $400. Auburn Fight Night will consist of both professional and amateur Mixed Martial Arts fights with several Auburn fighters competing on the event.

[Oso]

that's awesome, and kudos to him

i've told this story before somewhere on this forum but it's been awhile.

I coached Jr. High Wrestling my first year out of HS...the junior high i had gone to had not had a real coach for 3 years...my senior year we had gone down twice a week to work with them because the poor guy who tried to help out was a soccer coach with a book (no slight to him, he was trying to help).

anyway, we go to this match and the other coach approaches me about an exhibition match with a kid who had no legs below the knees...don't know if congenital or accidental...and the guy was at 135 i think. so, i go and talk to my 2nd string 135 about it and he agreed and i had a talk with the whole team about maturity and stuff and they did make me proud as far as being cool about it and not giggling or anything...and then we all sat there with our mouths open as we watched this kid wrestle his heart out and get beat by decision...my guy couldn't pin him.

bottom line, it takes a lot of guts and willpower to forge ahead when faced with something like these guys do...i often wonder if i would have the same mettle...most days, i'm not really sure i would.

[GeneChing]

Anyone getting the PPV?

NEWS AND VIEWS: MMA turns into freak show with amputee Maynard on the card
Column by Brad Zimanek • April 22, 2009

News: Kyle Maynard will become the first quad- amputee to fight in a mixed martial arts event on Saturday at Auburn. He's featured on a 10-bout card with tickets going for $20 in advance and $25 on day of the event.

# Views: Maynard is an inspirational story. The Suwanee, Ga., native was born with a congenital amputation disorder. He has no elbows and no knees yet competed in the 2004 Georgia High School wrestling championships.

He posted a 35-16 record at Collins High School and graduated with a 3.7 GPA.

He won the 2004 ESPN ESPY award for the best Athlete With A Disability.

He's a motivational speaker and an author.

But this is just a freak show.

Mixed martial arts events are basically no-holds barred combat.

This is different than wrestling.

They are selling tickets for people who want to see how badly Maynard gets beat up.

This shows how far sports can go to make a buck. It's one of those things where you hope for the best but are expecting the worst. I just can't see anything good coming out of it.

Disability not a factor for mixed martial artist
Donathan Prater
Staff Writer
Published: April 21, 2009

He might make his opponent tap out. He may even make a little history along the way while doing it.

But the one thing you’ll never find Kyle Maynard making is an excuse.

That was the point Maynard, 23, shared with third through 12th-grade students at Lee-Scott Academy Tuesday morning.

Maynard, a native of Suwanee, Ga., was born with a rare condition called congenital amputation and as a result has no elbows or knees.

Despite that fact, Maynard has gone on to enjoy an athletic career in high school participating in both football and wrestling, even competing in the 2004 Georgia High School Wrestling Championships and later receiving the ESPN Espy Award that same year.

Life lessons about perseverance and determination were instilled in Maynard from the time he was 2 years-old.

“My parents (Scott and Anita Maynard) always raised me to believe that I was capable of doing anything anyone else could,” Maynard said as he spoke to the full gymnasium of students. “They taught me not to make excuses for what I couldn’t do, but reasons for all the things I could do.”

What Maynard, who has also authored a memoir titled “No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life,” will be doing Saturday night at the Auburn Covered Arena is making his MMA (mixed martial arts) fighting debut, something he has been training rigorously for the past few years.

Having reached a number of athletic and personal milestones already, a common question he gets concerning his decision to compete in mixed martial arts is “why”?

“Some people don’t want to see this happen. They think I’m doing this just to get attention,” said Maynard. “But I’m doing this to test myself. To me this is the ultimate physical and spiritual test.”

If his past performances in competition are any indicator, it should be a test he passes with flying colors.

“I just want these students to understand that in life, the things we want the most and are most valuable are often the hardest to obtain,” he said. “You have to fight for those things and not allow the doubt of others to creep into your dreams.”

[GeneChing]

been pondering the weigh-ins...who's he going to fight that's going to be his weight class?

Kyle Maynard's Amateur MMA Debut Shrouded in Controversy, Secrecy

Posted Apr 22, 2009 11:08AM By Ariel Helwani (RSS feed)
This Saturday, Kyle Maynard, a congenital amputee with no elbows or knees, will make his amateur mixed martial arts debut at the Auburn Covered Arena in Auburn, Ala.

The 2004 ESPY winner for "best athlete with a disability" captured the attention of the nation en route to a 35-16 high school amateur wrestling record.

Next, he looks to defy the odds yet again by tackling the world of MMA. I spoke to the 23-year-old about the scrutiny he has received for deciding to compete in MMA and why the details surrounding his debut have been kept under wraps. The full interview is below.

Ariel Helwani: When did you first decide that you would want to compete in mixed martial arts?
Kyle Maynard: I had been exposed to it through one of my best friend's dad who was just talking to me about how he had seen UFC 1 with Royce Gracie just wrapping guys up and he didn't really know how he did it. It was just that he was dominating these larger opponents and I got a kick out of that because, as a wrestler, it's a lot more force against force and the size of your opponent really does matter a lot. Jiu-jitsu is a lot more fluid and size doesn't matter as much, and being a smaller guy, as soon as I got exposed to the art of jiu-jitsu, I just fell in love with it. I really didn't start training hard myself until my wrestling days were done after my first year wrestling at Georgia and at the end of 2004, early 2005 is when I started training jiu-jitsu at the HardCore gym in Athens. Since then, I have kind of bounced around all over the place.

AH: Two years ago, the Georgia Athletic & Entertainment Commission denied you an MMA license. How devastating was it to hear, once again, that you can't do something?
KM: In July of 2007, I met with the commissioners and off the record – not off the record for you, but to me – they really gave me the impression that a license to fight was going to be a formality. The head commissioner told me that it was inspiring what I was doing and literally told me that he was going to be there cageside when I actually competed. I don't know if it was just the public pressure or what that changed their mind, or if they actually thought about it for more than five minutes. I have no idea. But when it came around three weeks before my first scheduled fight, I was denied. That was extraordinarily discouraging because I had poured so much into the preparation for that. You know, it was just heart breaking when it didn't come around. It really kept me out of the gym for about six months. In the interim, I started working towards starting my own gym and we opened up in December. It was a great experience. Then, I had talked to (David) Oblas (the promoter of Maynard's fight) about coming back in and making an attempt at round two in Alabama. You know, just do it in an unsanctioned state that way I can get that first one under my belt and hopefully build a little bit more of a legitimate case that I would be able to, in fact, defend myself in a fight.

AH: So, is your goal to take the footage of your fight on Saturday to other states once this is over to prove to them that you should be granted an MMA license?
KM: You know, my biggest goal is to just go out there and do it. I think that that could be kind of the cool consequence if I did have a good performance. I think it could help bolster my case, but by no means was it my first intention to try and send a huge civil right litigation nor is it really on my agenda now.

AH: When it was first announced that you would be officially making your amateur MMA debut, the majority of MMA fans and media reacted negatively. Were you aware of this, and if so, how did that make you feel?
KM: I am well aware. I am one of the bigger MMA fan boys. You know, I read all the blogs and forums all the time. I'm online constantly just trying to keep up with the community because I am such a huge fan of the sport myself. I read a lot of the comments that were made in 2007 and it really hurt. You know, it struck a deep chord in me. At that point in time, it was one of my biggest motivations, you know, to prove the naysayers wrong and I think that that was a weak motivation. I knew it was going to happen again once we announced this fight, so I intentionally changed my homepage and haven't gone back to visit the (MMA) sites. I have really been kind of detached from the media which kind of stinks because I love reading people's educated opinions about, you know, the "Shogun" (Rua) - Chuck (Liddell) fight or the Anderson (Silva) - Thales (Leites) fight. So, I am just kind of ready to go back to normal after this dies down again. But I understand people's concerns. I think it's a little bit of fear mongering to think that I am going to send this sport back to the dark ages. I think that there's a much bigger likelihood that exists that I will be able to go and bring this to a larger uneducated market than we've seen before. I'm not saying that I can do that single-handedly, but I am going to be one piece in that just the same as a guy like "Mayhem" Miller whose got a show now on MTV. I think that's an awesome thing because it's showing some of the classy fighters and a different side of the sport. I think that's what I am trying to do, too.

AH: This is certainly unchartered territory for the sport, so can you shed some light on how plan to defend yourself from strikes or submission attempts?
KM: You know, without going into too much of my game plan, I am never going to be an Ernesto Hoost-level kickboxer; I assure you of that. But one of the biggest misnomers I have seen is that people think I can't strike. I got arms that end right above my elbow and I have had an over 400-pound butterfly press. I assure you can strike (and) I can defend myself. As far as the grappling goes, I got my blue belt about two years ago and I'm training with a world champion, Paul Creighton, whose fought BJ Penn. So, as far as conditioning goes, I think I've got the upper hand. I'm fighting in a bigger weight class than I have ever competed in before, but I still feel pretty healthy. You know, in high school I wrestled at 103 (pounds) and this fight is going to be at 135. I have been able to put on the weight as efficiently as I could without losing too much speed and mobility. So, I feel confident. The cards are there for me to go out and have a pretty awesome performance ... I think that one of advantage I have is that I have got the ability to prepare for (his opponent) in any different situation and he really doesn't have a clue what I am going to bring to the fight.

AH: We still don't know the identity of your opponent. Are you able to make that information public yet?
KM: Not yet. We are still keeping it under wraps until the weigh-ins.

continued next post

[GeneChing]

...from previous post

AH: Why is that?
KM: I don't want to take any chances that anyone is going to try to get in this kid's ear or his family's or whatever. I think that that would be a pretty bad thing. You know, I am honored that he would take this fight with me; I truly am. I think it's a courageous and noteworthy thing to do and I would be the first one to tell him that.

AH: Have you spoken to your opponent?
KM: Not yet, no, but I plan on getting a chance to speak with him at the weigh-ins and hopefully after the fight. This was like the third opponent that I have had. Others guys have dropped out due to injuries and that's been tough because at first I was preparing for specific opponents and their strengths and weaknesses, but now I really don't know.

AH: I recently spoke to the promoter of the event, David Oblas, and he told me that you still hadn't figured out how you will wear the MMA gloves. Has that issue been resolved now?
KM: Yeah, I've got it figured out now. I just had to modify the way they go in and tape the gloves. I've got to train with them, so I am pretty confident that it's not going to be a concern.

AH: Will there be any special rules in place for this fight?
KM: No, other than I will be considered a grounded opponent so there won't be any kicks or knees to my head, but that's it. No elbows in the fight, I believe, either. Pretty common amateur rules. But there will be strikes to the head on the ground, so in a way, it's actually even more of a risk than if I would have fought in Georgia, because (in Georgia) it would have effectively been a jiu-jitsu match with body strikers. This is just new territory for me, for the fans and for the people covering it, so I think it's going to be exciting. I'm thrilled about it, really. I used to get pretty big anxiety before wrestling tournaments and what not, but right now I am feeling really confident and ready to go.

AH: Is your goal to try and make it as a professional mixed martial artist?
KM: (Laughs) You know, my goal is to go out here and perform in this fight. I think that this is going to be one step in the right direction towards whatever the heck I want to do in the future. I think this summer I am going to plan a trip to climb Mt. Mitchell up in North Carolina. You know, I love athletics and I love challenging myself and this is one step to go towards that. Right now, my motivations are not to be a world champ. And you know, I wish I could approach it with that full-time ability to train and commit to it, but between the gym and the motivational speaking, it's been incredibly tough to stay on top of it and train for this fight and that's one reason why I am coming down (to Auburn) almost a week early to just kind of get away from that.

AH: Is your family supporting your decision to compete in MMA?
KM: Yeah, they're 110% behind me. I've got three younger sisters and they are all coming to the fight and bringing friends. My two grandparents on my mom's side that are local in Georgia, they love me dearly and the last thing in the world they want to see is me getting hurt, they're coming down to support me. My dad wrestled all the way up through college, so he understands at least that aspect of the sport and I talk with him probably a couple of times a week about strategy. And mom has been very supportive of this and just excited that I am going to have that chance to go out there and realize this dream.

AH: Have you received a lot of requests from other mainstream media outlets to talk about this fight?
KM: Yeah, some of the newspaper media as well as ESPN and Associated Press. But you know, I am not too worried about it. People have this misconception that I am doing this to get attention, but I'm doing this for me. If I could do this in a back alley with my trainers and an opponent in a safe environment, I would almost take that alternative. It's not my goal to go out here and start a media uproar.

AH: Honestly, are you fearful at all that something could go very wrong on Saturday night?
KM: Yeah, definitely. I mean, not fearful of me going out and getting hurt, but like any fighter that goes out there and takes the risk of getting hit square in the button and getting knocked out in 30 seconds. I think that that would prove a lot of people right that didn't want to see me do it. But short of that happening, I feel like if I can go the distance or better with this, it's going to prove to a lot of people that cliché saying that you can't judge a book by its cover is the truth. I have a hard time looking at myself from this perspective, but I think that I have kind of become a good example of that.

AH: Do you have any last words to those people who are against your involvement in MMA?
KM: To the people that have said negative things, and there are people that have gone as far as saying offensive things, I really don't have any desire to change their opinion of it. I frankly don't care because I think that it's my right to go out there and do it. But to the people who believe in me, and I think that there has been a considerable amount that have voiced their approval and excitement for it, I think that they know that I wouldn't just go in and jump in if I thought that I was going to get massacred. I am a pretty competitive guy. I am not going to do something that I don't have a really good chance of winning.

AH: Any prediction on how your fight will end?
KM: You're the first one that has asked me that. I think that there will be a finish. I feel confident that I will finish the fight. I don't want to take the chance that it's going to go to the judges' scorecards and I feel ready for it. I have sacrificed a lot time-wise for this and I feel like I could go out there for twelve minutes and push myself to do just about anything I want

Kyle Maynard's amateur MMA debut will be shown live on Internet PPV on Saturday, April 25, at 9PM ET. For more information, check out www.KyleMaynardFight.com.

[Lucas]

i believe i saw this guy wrestle.

he did pretty good.

whos he going to fight in mma? and how is he going to defend against punches and kicks? I mean his head its like waste level.

im not dogging the guy but im wondering if they are going to give him a competent fighter to go against, and will that guy pull his punches based on the fact his adversary has no arms or legs.

definately interesting. i wish him the best, but if hes up against a decent mma fighter, i dont give him much of a chance, mainly because he has no arms and legs. gonna be hard to do much of anything in that situation if the guy starts kick boxing him hard.

[Violent Designs]

Wrestling is not MMA.

Wrestling is not MMA.

Wrestling is not MMA.

This is seriously retarded. It's beyond "freakshow." This is why we need sanctioning bodies for the sport. The guy is in for a rude awakening and world of pain.

If they go through with this they should allow soccer kicks knees to the head just to make a point.

[GreenCloudCLF]

****, I lost $1,000 on this fight. So, Maynard couldn't be kicked in the head, and he wasn't allowed to strike, and his opponent just back pedalled and avoid the takedown. This was more like 15 minutes of TMA sparring than MMA.

Maynard stifled in debut, drops decision in Auburn Fight Night main event
John Morgan, MMAjunkie.com

Despite all the hype, all the questions, all the concerns of safety and regulations heading into the professional MMA debut of congenital amputee Kyle Maynard, the final product failed to answer many questions other than, "What happens if Maynard can't take his opponent down?"

The inspirational former high school wrestler and ESPY award winner for Best Athlete with a Disability may be forced to recognize his limitations in MMA following a unanimous-decision loss in the main event of Saturday's Auburn Fight Night in Auburn, Ala.

The card was held at the Auburn Covered Arena and was broadcast live on an internet pay-per-view broadcast.

Described by event commentators as having a "tin roof, barn next to us, a little hay and no poop on the floor," the venue had a dirt floor, a square cage and a hammer and a metal pipe serving as the official bell.

But when congenital amputee Kyle Maynard made his way to the cage, the focus went from the shortcomings of the facility to the challenges of the main event fighter.

Although not part of the original plan, Maynard did not wear gloves to the cage. Commentators blamed humidity as a potential culprit, citing a difficulty in securing the gloves to Maynard's appendages. As such, Maynard was ruled unable to throw strikes with his genetically shortened arms.

Maynard was carried in on the back of his cornerman to a loud ovation from the gathered crowd, but it was the last positive moment for the Georgia resident.

While the crowd in attendance was obviously disappointed at the course of action, Maynard's opponent, Bryan Fry, stuck to an effective gameplan. Refusing to go to the floor with Maynard, Fry played matador to his opponent's charging bull backing away from Maynard's repeated takedown rushes while peppering his face with jabs.

Maynard's face showed obvious frustration at the end of the opening round, and Fry refused to back down from the strategy.

Maynard frantically picked up the pace in spots, but he simply could not close the distance on his opponent and work the fight to the mat. Maynard's inability to strike had little impact on the outcome, and the debuting fighter dropped a unanimous decision.

The two combatants hugged briefly following the announcement, and Fry understandably competing in a no-win situation offered a show of support before exiting the cage to a chorus of boos.

Maynard, who will certainly need to go back to the drawing board should he choose to continue an unsanctioned MMA career, held on to his trademark class when addressing the crowd following the contest.

"Thank you guys for coming out and supporting this," Maynard said. "This was one of my biggest dreams, and I fell short tonight."

[GeneChing]

There's vid of all three rounds on the site below...

Amputee Makes Pro Fight Debut
Published Monday, April 27, 2009 6:39 AM
By illseed

In the world of sports, there is always something wild and crazy going on. Think about where you were when Mike Tyson bites off Evander Holyfield’s ear. You may reminisce on Greg Louganis busting his head on a diving board. Or perhaps one recalls something simple like Iverson “breaking” Michael Jordan’s ankles with that crossover. And then there is Kyle Maynard.

Maynard, 23, is a congenital amputee that fought in his professional mixed martial arts debut over the weekend in Auburn, AL. The Collins Hill grad has no limbs with hands, feet elbows or knee joints. For those that don't know of MMA, fists, arms, feet and legs are essential for the fighting sport, where punching and kicking are commonplace. Maynard lost a unanimous decision to Bryan Fry on Saturday night. Still, the little man’s big heart has shaken up the sports world with an inspirational, but extremely odd outing.

The entire fight can be seen here:

[BoulderDawg]

I watched one round of that freak show and that was enough.

To start with I can't believe they could rope somebody in that would agree to fight him.

It's obvious the guy he was fighting was afraid to do anything...you kinda can't blame him.

I think if they want to continue this farce let him face someone who will clean his clock under normal rules.

....and you people wonder why I class this S with professional wrestling.

[Kansuke]

Here we have a topic that combines your feelings of impotence in the face of people who actually fight and your apparent prejudice against the disabled.

You suck.

[taai gihk yahn]

gotta give the guy credit for having the heart to attempt this; and props to the organizers for giving him the opportunity to represent; unfortunately, it seemed, at least to me, that the fight was excessively mismatched - it looked liked his opponent could really have just taken him out at any point and was simply holding back - I could be wrong, just my sense of it;of course, if they had fitted him w/razor blades on his arms, well...

quite frankly, if the sport is really that popularity amongst the differently abled population, it should be considered for inclusion in something like the para-olympics or whatnot, but this just appeared as too uneven;

[GeneChing]

Interesting term 'Adaptive Martial Arts'. New thread worthy.

Belgian Coaches Examine Adaptive Martial Arts in San Diego
POSTED BY DEBBIE L. SKLAR ON FEBRUARY 19, 2020


Photo via Pixabay

A dozen Belgian coaches and administrators will be in San Diego Wednesday and began to examine the sport of adaptive martial arts as part of the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy exchange program.

The weeklong program is a sort of cultural-sports exchange where the Belgian delegation learns and works with San Diegan practitioners of adaptive marital arts, a variation of the sport that caters to the needs of those with disabilities.

“The U.S. Department of State Sports Visitor Program creates a network of leaders around the world,” spokeswoman Monika Wilcox said in a statement. “Delegates build relationships with their peers in the United States and create important opportunities for Americans to engage with individuals from other countries, thereby deepening trust and understanding between the United States and other countries and cultures.”

The delegation is set to meet with various communities in San Diego: Challenged Athletes Foundation, San Diego State University, Exodus Social Justice Volleyball and the Blind Community Center.

The program will remain in San Diego until February 25 when the Belgian delegation will travel to Orlando, Florida, for the 2020 U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship to observe the Para classification and competition.

BELGIAN COACHES EXAMINE ADAPTIVE MARTIAL ARTS IN SAN DIEGO was last modified: February 19th, 2020 by Debbie L. Sklar

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