Kyle Maynard Deserved Better, But Things Could Have Been Much Worse

For those who didn’t know, congenital amputee Kyle Maynard, who wrestled and played football despite having arms and legs that only reach to about elbow/knee length, made his MMA debut Saturday night.  He ended up fighting fellow amateur Bryan Fry (0-2) in an amateur bout in Alabama, where MMA events are unsanctioned.  Though he lost a unanimous decision (30-27 on all cards), it goes without saying that this man has overcome odds that most of us can’t imagine and has more determination than all but the best of us.  That’s all been said before, of course.

Still, one can only hope that Saturday night’s result got Maynard’s MMA aspirations out of his system.
I realize that it is a touchy thing to be yet another person to tell someone who has continually overcome obstacles that they can’t do something.  Maynard has no doubt heard it all of his life.  He famously lost over thirty wrestling matches, but stuck with it and became a very good competitor in his own right.  It’s easy to assume that he is taking the same outlook with MMA, but hopefully not.

You can’t lose thirty, twenty, or even ten MMA bouts and simply shrug it off and promise yourself to come back better next time.  Maynard was fortunate on Saturday night; his opponent was neither highly skilled nor willing to take the fight to him with much aggressiveness.  Through three rounds, Fry could only scurry away from Maynard’s nonstop takedown attempts and occasionally flick jabs in the face of his opponent.  Somewhere out there, there are fighters who would not be so kind, and who could fault them?  Maynard himself has insisted that he wants to be taken seriously and considered to be just another fighter in the cage.

The problem is that Saturday night showed that there are limitations to what can be achieved, whether we want to admit it or not.  Maynard was unable to provide any offense against his opponent, even though his work ethic, talent and strength no doubt dwarfed that of Fry, who should be admired for having the guts to take such a high-profile, controversial fight.  If Maynard had the advantage of having full limbs and was able to carry over his intangible qualities, his drive, his ability to take on adversity and not only survive but thrive, things would be a much different story.  Unfortunately, that isn’t the case.

Still, Maynard should be applauded for his courage and determination, even if he’s not looking for praise.  Of course, the officials and promoter behind Auburn Fight Night are not worthy of any kind of praise, themselves.

Let’s set aside the fact that Maynard was allowed to fight in the first place.  I believe that most MMA referees are able to protect the fighter to a degree where Maynard was unlikely to sustain a serious injury.  He faced a fighter who was inexperienced and has a lot to learn, just like himself.  Still, many of the details surrounding the bout are, well, ridiculous.

Like what, you ask?  How about the fact that Maynard wasn’t allowed to strike, because they couldn’t get the MMA gloves to stay on the end of his arms?  What’s that?  Why would he be required to wear gloves in the first place?  That’s a good question!  After all, MMA fighters wear gloves to protect their hands from the types of injuries that regularly occurred in the dark ages of the sport, when fighters regularly broke their hands on the tough noggins of opponents.  So, why in the world would Maynard have to wear them?  Doesn’t it seem downright stupid to require a fighter with no hands to wear gloves?  Then, when he can’t wear them because, hello, he has no fingers or hands to keep them on properly, what do you do?  I know, take away his ability to strike at all!

Then, we’re left with a modified rules fight (I don’t really want to call it MMA) where one fighter can’t kick or knee to his opponent’s head, and the other fighter can’t strike at all.  What a joke.  Why wasn’t any of this thought of beforehand?  I guess while David Oblas was selling hundreds upon hundreds of tickets for a show where amateur fighters with a combined record of 0-2 would headline, he didn’t have a chance to consider that the gloves may not stay on the end of Maynard’s arms.

So, Maynard is now facing a fight where he has no alternative but to plow straight ahead and look for a takedown somehow.  In all fairness, that’s what he would have likely looked to do anyway, but now, if he does get the takedown, he can’t inflict any punishment on is opponent.  I know Maynard has done jiu-jitsu, but I have a hard time thinking of submissions that he could pull off, so if the fight goes to the ground, he does…what, exactly?  Tries to stay on top and ride out a decision?

I really don’t think that Maynard should be fighting in MMA, but if he is going to fight (and in Alabama, he has that right), at least take the time to ensure that things are done right.  Instead of worrying about selling out a show that normally wouldn’t even make local newspaper headlines, consider exactly what he will have to do when the fight comes.  Like I said, it’s not Maynard’s fault.  He’s just a hard-working athlete who wanted to test himself, and it’s not his job to tell himself he can’t do it.  That’s someone else’s duty.  In the meantime, it’s too bad that all he wanted was a real fight, and instead he ended up in a circus.

 by Jon Hartley for Fightmania.com