Should the line be drawn in MMA?

There were many different words to describe the idea of a physically handicapped fighter preparing to make his MMA debut. Some of those words centered on the determination and will of a young man who wanted to take his first fight in the cage. Others couldn’t believe that an athletic commission would let something like this happen. Whatever happens, this story will be sure to grab headlines later this spring, especially in the Southern part of the nation.

Meet Kyle Maynard. He has no arms past his elbows and no legs past his knees, but this 23 year old fighter hasn’t exactly sat on the sidelines while everyone else followed their dreams. He has played football, wrestled in the Georgia high school championships, competed in grappling competitions, and has been actively training for his upcoming MMA fight. He’s even training under reputable MMA instructors who have said he is ready to fight in the cage.

His NAGA videos can be found on YouTube and he’s been given the green light from his MMA instructors to fight on Apirl 25th in Alabama, but does that mean he should? There are many issues to discuss when it comes down to a MMA fighter who is missing four very important parts of his body; parts that he never had due to a rare disorder called congenital amputation. While developing as a fetus, Maynard lost blood flow to his arms and legs and parts of his limbs detached from his body in the womb. But Maynard hasn’t been stopped – he was the winner of a 2004 ESPN ESPY award, has written his own book, and will be featured in an upcoming documentary. But don’t get too ahead of yourselves, this isn’t wrestling, and unlike football, there’s little stop-and-go action – MMA is all go.

Coming back around to the idea of letting Maynard fight, I think the first question in everyone’s mind centers around Maynard’s ability, or inability to hit someone while wearing the five ounce MMA gloves. Apparently Kyle can hit, but he’s a well-known NAGA grappler who has proven that arms and legs are optional on the mat. If you don’t believe me, watch the video below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5R75GGUovg[/youtube]

There are still other valid points against Maynard safely competing in Mixed Martial Arts. Now if MMA was all offense, we wouldn’t get out of the first round. But it’s not, and one of the most important things to remember is that if you are getting hit, you need to actively defend yourself at all times. Some have questioned Maynard’s ability to block and defend himself from strikes when he’s not throwing some leather of his own. How does someone with a great reach disadvantage keep an opponent from jabbing away? Think of BJ Penn’s dismantling of Sean Sherk at UFC 84 except Sherk’s reach was only inches shorter than Penn’s.

And there’s always more than the standup game. This isn’t kickboxing, or boxing as in this case (no headkicks allowed since Maynard will technically always be on his knees) and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, and wrestling are an important element of MMA. The ground game is Kyle Maynard’s strongest component and I can imagine that he will spend most of this fight attempting submissions and looking to stay dominant. If you watched the YouTube video, you saw how fast Maynard can move on the mat and you can expect him to utilize his speed.

And what about a weight class? Could Kyle fight someone who is smaller due to his reduced weight? Or will he be required to fight someone who is slightly heavier? The Alabama Athletic Commission is supposedly sanctioning this fight, but little details are available as to how they are allowing this fight to happen. Are they allowing this fight to happen in hopes of drawing a large crowd that is desperate to see something they may never see before? Or does the state of Alabama truly believe that Kyle Maynard deserves the chance to fight in Mixed Martial Arts? I’m assuming the former, although some may say the latter plays a huge part in the mind of Maynard and his trainers – at least perhaps the chance to prove even more people that Maynard is capable of anything. But then why not just compete in a small smoker event, as some on the MMA forums, especially those on the MMA.tv UG, have already suggested?

In closing, some see Kyle Maynard as a freak show, but what makes Maynard different from nearly all of the other quadriplegics in the world is that he is competing in sports that are considered impossible for men and women who are missing their hands and feet. One could call Maynard a freak show if there was something wrong with him, but there’s not. He’s a strong willed individual who wants to show the world that he can compete in the no holds barred world of professional fighting. But does he really need to prove anyone else wrong at this point in his life? Has he fulfilled his lifelong dreams? Is it fair for us to answer those questions for Kyle Maynard? I say let the man fight. He’s proven football coaches, wrestling coaches, and has grappled in one of the biggest competitions in country. The game might be different, but the challenge itself is nothing new.

Let Maynard, a grown man who is fully aware of his abilities, draw his own line.