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Thread: MMA with disabilities

  1. #46
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    Ronald Dlamini

    Impressive.

    Meet Black Blind Boxer Who is Still A Champion
    by Korede
    about 6 hours ago



    A boxer and Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) champion, who went blind in 2012, has proceeded with his boxing career despite seemingly insurmountable odds, and has turned into a source of motivation for some.



    Ronald Dlamini got meningitis after a fight in New Zealand almost four years ago, and lost his eyesight as a result. For a person who had become the first black male to ever get crowned champion at an MMA competition in 2009, becoming blind could have been a good reason to bury himself into deep depression.



    But not Dlamini, who is also known as “Black Mamba”, and was raised in Maqumbi, in KwaZulu-Natal. Instead, he decided to go on and train students in the MMA discipline, becoming a top-notch motivator.



    “He has never lost his passion or hope in the sport,” his coach, Rhyne Hassan said. He added they used to train blindfolded, and that he would never have fathomed this fact could be some sort of prediction to what destiny lay for Dlamini.



    Hassan comments Dlamini “wants to get back in the ring and fight.” The former champion wrote a book called “Light After Blind”, with which he hopes to offer inspiration and hope to many people.

    Dlamini has not stopped at pursuing other activities as well. He is currently studying transport and logistics at Umfolozi TVET College, located in Esikhawini. “I have never thrown in the towel,” he says.

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    Gene Ching
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  2. #47
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    Jared "Mexico" George

    CASPER MAN ONCE BULLIED FOR BEING BLIND BECOMES MMA FIGHTER
    By ELYSIA CONNER , Associated Press
    Feb. 7, 2018 2:02 AM ET

    CASPER, Wyo. (AP) — Jared George scrawled his name across the top of a printed form, his face so close to the page it was nearly touching. His step-father knelt at the other side and filled out the rest, which asked about various medical conditions.


    Jared "Mexico" George in his corner after his first round of his fight against Cody Ammen during the Infamous MMA event Saturday night, Jan. 27, 2018 at the Central Wyoming Fairgrounds in Casper, Wyoming. George began mixed martial arts training at age 12. (Josh Galemore/The Casper Star-Tribune via AP)

    Did he have high blood pressure? No.

    Did he have diabetes? No.

    Had he ever suffered a concussion? Luckily, despite all the fighting, no.

    But the form never inquired about the condition that's shaped his entire life, the condition that made him a fighter.

    A few minutes later, George stripped to gray boxers and stood on a scale for the weigh-in inside the Industrial Building at the Natrona County Fairgrounds. Outside of competition, he often flashes the same smile that got him out of trouble at school. Now he stood nearly expressionless, his hands on his hips, his hair shaved close to the scalp, as the officials watched him.

    He had been training for the following night's mixed martial arts bouts for his whole life. This was his official debut, the beginning of the 20-year-old's plans for a career in the sport, and he was nervous.

    His weight cleared. He was officially slated for the following night's Infamous MMA 1 fight in the light heavyweight division. He sized up his opponent for the next night as they faced each other for a photo.

    But the view a few feet off was a blur. He could tell his opponent was larger. He couldn't see details like the definition of the man's muscles, but could tell they were large. The shape of his opponent's torso hinted he might rely more on strength and quick bursts of energy rather than longer endurance, George guessed.

    For George, these details are crucial. Because he's legally blind, he's even more reliant on strategy than fighters who can see every detail during a bout. But George doesn't view his blindness as an impediment — it's what brought him to the sport in the first place.

    When he was bullied as a kid for being blind and overweight, he learned to fight. When he was told he couldn't play school sports because he's blind, he started learning MMA.

    "It's going to be my livelihood," George said. "It's my dream. It's been something that I've wanted for a long time."

    FIGHTING FROM THE STATE

    George has always been a fighter, his mom, Kelly Cunningham, said.

    She was 19 when he was born six weeks early. Doctors told her they didn't know how he'd survived because there was no amniotic fluid in her womb. He needed kidney surgery at age 1. By age 7, he was blind from keratoconus, a disease that changes the shape of the corneas.

    While legally blind, his world isn't total darkness. He sees the world as if through a magnifying glass that's being held too far away — the center of his sight is blurry but becomes clearer at the periphery. The other kids in his grade school knew this.

    He had to duck or change course when he saw older students in the small northern California town of Burney where he grew up. They shoved him, hit him and threw rocks at him on the playground. They bullied him because he was overweight and blind, but always made sure the adults didn't catch them.

    So George learned to fight. It came naturally and eventually started getting him into trouble.

    He enjoyed fighting and tried to channel that interest through organized sports. At age 12, he started MMA training. He knew by then he wanted to be a professional fighter.

    People laughed at him, or worse, shrugged off his aspirations. They didn't think it was realistic, especially for a blind boy.

    Their doubt steeled George.

    "I'm a little hard headed, so I guess I wanted to prove them wrong," he said.

    He probably would have found himself in worse trouble as he grew up, he said, but then his mom moved the family to Wyoming in 2011. She wanted a better life for her two kids. There were no extracurricular activities at their school, which was underfunded, and sports programs were few and far between, she said. She was worried about George getting in trouble.

    So she packed the car and headed to Casper, where her boyfriend, Keith Jensen, lived.

    His first day at school, he sat near the front of the bus to avoid other students. He was afraid they were going to pick on him, just like the kids in California.

    "Hey, red hat!" he heard from the back of the bus. He assumed it was someone picking a fight. But it was Caleb Enders, who invited the new kid to sit by him. He thought he looked lonely.

    Now, seven years later, they call each other brothers.

    BEATING THE ODDS

    Enders is the one George wants in his corner. George makes adjustments mid-fight on his own, so he doesn't need a lot of advice. But Enders acts as his eyes, pointing out things George can't see.

    Now, Enders helps drive him around town and to the odd jobs the pair work together. His best friend is also his training partner. The sessions are usually impromptu wrestling matches when they're hanging out.

    Despite her son's independence, Cunningham still wants to jump in the ring sometimes, especially when he was fouled in a recent boxing fight. (George took a break from fighting for several months and started training in boxing last fall to prepare for his return to MMA.) The fight's promoter had to tell her to sit down three different times, she said.

    She still worries about him every time he gets in the ring, whether it's boxing or MMA.

    "But I believe in his ability," she said "Fighting is what puts his soul afire, and I can't extinguish that dream."

    ___

    A blind MMA fighter qualifies as a blind master. For realz.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
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  3. #48
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    Nick Newell is Back With a Vengeance At LFA 35



    More on Nick Newell
    Gene Ching
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  4. #49
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    More on Nick Newell

    One-Handed MMA Fighter Nick Newell Will Have A Shot At The UFC This June
    #MMA #UFC
    JASON NAWARA 04.25.18


    WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING

    Nick Newell has been angling to get into the UFC for years to no avail. UFC president Dana White has long been against the idea, lest the company hold a fight on TV that shows a one-handed MMA fighter losing in his Octagon. It led to Newell retiring in 2015 a few fights after losing his World Series of Fighting belt to current UFC star Justin Gaethje. But now, at 14-1 and back in active competition, Newell is finally getting his shot this June on Dana White’s Contender Series. The same show that’s welcoming Greg Hardy to the cage.

    Brett Okamoto

    @bokamotoESPN
    Nick Newell will get a shot at a UFC contract. Per Dana White, he'll be offered a fight on the Tuesday Night Contender Series in June.

    5:07 PM - Apr 25, 2018
    1,188
    335 people are talking about this
    Nick Newell
    @NotoriousNewell
    Everyone that's not an internet troll wants to see me in the UFC

    7:08 PM - Apr 24, 2018 · Enterprise, NV
    1,113
    191 people are talking about this
    Here’s a look at the damage this dude can do:



    Newell is definitely a legit prospect, but he doesn’t have the greatest competition on his resume. Ironically, the UFC is putting on so many shows its talent pool isn’t necessarily elite from top to bottom. In other words, Newell belongs in the UFC, and if he has an impressive win (11 of his 14 wins have been by finish), he should get the call up to the big leagues.

    The other interesting thing about this announcement is that it was fed to ESPN, who will likely get Dana White’s Contender Series on their ESPN+ digital streaming platform if their bid for the UFC’s broadcast rights goes through.

    Could this be a sign White wants to start delivering the goods to ESPN?
    I almost said 'Gotta hand it to Newell' but that would've been in poor taste. Clearly he's got the stuff and then some.
    Gene Ching
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  5. #50
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    Nick Newell

    1-HANDED MMA STAR NICK NEWELL
    BELLATOR CONTRACT MEANS NOTHING
    ... If I Don't Win My Fight

    8/4/2019 12:25 AM PT

    Nick Newell is a badass MMA fighter who happens to have 1 hand ... and Bellator signed him to a fight deal -- incredible story, right??

    No, not if you ask Newell ... who tells TMZ Sports the shiny new contract doesn't mean a **** thing if he doesn't punch someone and get a W.

    Nick -- who at 33 years old recently signed a 1 fight deal with Bellator -- is weeks away from his debut against Corey Browning (CB once beat Kimbo's son, Kevin Ferguson aka "Baby Slice") at Bellator 225 ... and he's far from happy just having a contract.

    "I’m just showing up to win, being a part of something is not good enough for me," Newell says.

    "I appreciate everything Bellator's doing for me, but just like showing up and being like, 'oh my god, I got signed by Bellator,' and getting my ass whooped, is not acceptable."

    The 15-2 fighter went on to say ... "For me it’s nothing until I get my hand raised. I've accomplished nothing. Just by getting signed doesn’t mean that you're a big deal or that you're good enough."

    "I'm not content. I have to win. When I win, then I'll be happy. Then I'll be excited for the future. I feel like I have to earn that."

    Nick's journey to Bellator has been 10 years in the making, and while he might think it's no big deal to sign with 1 of the premiere fight promotions in the country, most in the MMA world are super impressed.

    Newell will get his chance to earn a win on August 24.

    Actually, it's pretty badass just to get signed by any major fight league. Honestly, how many of us here can say that?
    Gene Ching
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  6. #51
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    MMA with disabilities

    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
    THREADS
    Adaptive Martial Arts
    MMA with disabilities
    Blind Masters
    Gene Ching
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  7. #52
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    MMA with disabilities

    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
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  8. #53
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    Zion Clark, Fighter Born Without Legs, Reacts to Win in MMA Debut

    Gene Ching
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