Does Congenital Amputee Kyle Maynard Have Any Business in MMA?

You may or may not be acquainted with the story of Kyle Maynard, a 23-year old congenital amputee who was born with only partial arms and legs (they reach to about where his elbows and knees would be, respectively).  Maynard has admirably decided that he is not going to let his physical limitations keep him from doing the things he wants to do.  He has always competed in sports, including football and wrestling.  He even went on to jiu-jitsu, but now he wants to take it to a whole new level by competing in mixed martial arts.

This is where things, as they say, become complicated.  It’s hard to deny Maynard the opportunity to live a normal life and attempt to do things that everyone else does.  However, when one of those things is participating in a dangerous combat sport, should he be allowed to compete?

The athletic commission in Georgia didn’t think so.  In 2007, Maynard was denied a license to fight in Georgia, even though he had trained in jiu-jitsu for two years at that point, and wrestled for much longer.  Since then, he has decided to fight in Alabama, where he wouldn’t have to specifically be sanctioned as an individual fighter.  He’s hoping that a successful, competitive performance in Alabama will help him to get licensed in other states in the future.

First things first: I don’t want to come off as if Maynard should be held back from doing things that he wants to do.  However, I don’t think that participating in a combat sport is a right that everyone should have; it is a privilege and is only extended to those that are physically able to compete in a safe way, and rightfully so.  What was the worst thing that was going to happen if Maynard was unable to compete in wrestling or jiu-jitsu?  He’d be pinned or tapped out. 
That really isn’t going to hurt anything but his pride.  In MMA, it’s a whole new ballgame.  Fighters are exposed to great risks in mixed martial arts, and athletic commissions don’t take these risks lightly, nor should they.

Let’s get into logistics, here.  I’ve watched some videos of Maynard (you can too, just go to YouTube and search for “Kyle Maynard”), and I can see how he competes in jiu-jitsu and wrestling.  In fact, when he gets into what would be a bad position for many grapplers, his shortened limbs almost help him.  It’s hard for opponents to keep him in a bad spot because they can’t get their hooks in, etc.  Also, a lot of submissions that grapplers would usually use aren’t feasible against him.

However, the same is true for Maynard.  Obviously, Maynard would have difficulty performing most, if not all of the usual submissions you see in fights.  In a recent interview, he mentioned that he will be able to strike, and he does appear to be strong, from what I’ve seen of him.  The most plausible strategy for Maynard would appear to be to gain side control on the opposing fighter and use hammer fist-like strikes against him.  Maynard wouldn’t be able to land meaningful strikes from a standing position (although the rules will consider him a “downed opponent”, so he won’t be at risk of being struck by kicks and knees to the head, though his body will be fair game), and again, it’s hard to imagine how he would pull off any of the chokes or arm/leg locks used by most fighters.

Most importantly, though, how will he defend himself?  In his grappling videos, he (like most fighters) is often at risk to be struck in many of the positions he ends up in.  The difference is, of course, that most fighters have the luxury of covering up and protecting themselves, which he would appear to have a limited ability to do.  Really, I can’t see how he will overcome some of these challenges, and I hope that the promoter (David Oblas) of the fight has had some of these concerns addressed by Maynard, and that this isn’t a blatant attention-grab to sell tickets and get national media coverage of what would otherwise be just another small MMA card.  I’m trying not to be cynical about this, and I’m sure Maynard believes that he can compete, but I have questions as to what the promoter is thinking, here.

Hopefully, I’m wrong.  It would be great if Maynard was able to shock the world and find a way to address what would seem to be very serious limitations that will cause him problems in an MMA fight.  Again, it really is hard to fault someone for wanting to push themselves, but at some point, you wonder whether simple logic should be applied.  In a sport that requires fighters to be ready to face so many weapons, so many dangers, how can someone with Maynard’s physique really expect to compete?

 by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com