Congenital Amputee Kyle Maynard Joins the MMA

By stephen on April 23rd, 2009

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23-year-old Kyle Maynard will be joining the ranks of mixed martial arts fighters on Sunday when he participates in an amateur event in Auburn, Alabama. However, when he enters the ring, he’ll be doing so without any elbows, hands, knees or feet. Born a congenital amputee, Maynard certainly seems at a disadvantage in a fight, yet he has a few tricks up his sleeve. And he’s no slouch either. As a high school senior he ended his varsity wrestling career with a 35-16 record. Pretty impressive.

And then there’s his incredibly strong torso. With the torso of a heavyweight fighter, but the weight of a much smaller fighter (135 pounds to be exact), he’ll have the advantage of a much stronger chest and torso than his competition. Also, since he lacks legs, he’ll be considered “grounded” throughout the entire competition. That means opponents won’t be able to kick or knee Maynard, leaving them with only elbows and fists to fight or full body wrestling — Maynard’s biggest strength. He’s also well rounded in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Still, Maynard has had to overcome more than just his lack of arms and legs to make it into the competition. Wanting to be a fighter for a few years, he first had to find a coach the believed in him. And even then he was thwarted when the MMA refused to let him register. Not one to give up, Maynard continued to train and petition for a fight. And it looks like all that hard work finally paid off.

Nonetheless, Maynard still has his fair share of critics. Some members of the MMA community worry that Maynard will be displayed as a freak-show and that the only reason he’s fighting is because some enterprising fight organizer is looking to make a lot of money. But Maynard’s not letting the criticism get him down. It was his idea after all and it’s what he wants to do.

The fight is on Sunday at Auburn Fight Night in Auburn, Alabama. His opponent will be revealed then.