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Picture above is from June 27, 2007 when Kyle Maynard returned to Turnstone for a ‘meet and greet’

Kyle Maynard (Fort Wayne, Indiana native & Turnstone Alum) made his MMA debut this past Saturday, April 25 vs Bryan Fry at the Auburn Covered Arena in Auburn, Ala. Kyle lost on a unanimous 30-27 judges’ decision.

Will Kyle Maynard Fight MMA Again

• Just as Kyle Maynard has done throughout his life, he’ll go back to drawing board. In High School Maynard went a year and a half without a wrestling victory. Then in his senior year he won 35 matches. My personal opinion is Maynard will have another MMA opportunity. Right now his largest obstacle is getting the license to fight. Two years ago he was all set to fight in an MMA event however the Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission denied his license to fight by a margin of 4-0, based on the concern for his safety. Hopefully with this match under his belt will show others that he can properly defend himself.

What Happen During the Fight

• Bryan Fry was conservative by sticking to his game plan and not being overly aggressive. Fry delivered a few punches to Maynard face; however, their was little effort on his part to go to the floor with Maynard and battle for submission. With Maynard unable to throw any jabs, because his gloves he typical wears won’t stay on due to the humidity, his only way to attack was to capitalize on Fry’s strikes. Fry was very cautious on his attacks, making sure he didn’t give Maynard an opportunity to wrestle with him on the mat, which would of been the only way Maynard could win.

Safety Concerns

• More credit should be given to the trained referees that take their job very seriously. Referees are there to stop the match for ANY fighter when life is in jeopardy. Maynard has a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Paul Creighton. He’s also worked and taken advice from some of the most respected names in MMA including Randy Couture, Steve Maxwell, Forrest Griffin to name drop a few. Maynard isn’t some kid training in his dad’s garage. The people who have seen Maynard train day-to-day know that he’s more then capable to defend and compete.

Below is an excerpt from Doug Drexler a writer at www.examiner.com (posted April 23, 2007)

Even the referee scheduled to oversee the fight, Cam McHargue, believes Maynard has more than a decent chance. McHargue commented, “I think Kyle’s going to win this fight. If the opponent tries to engage him, Kyle is strong enough to take him down. Kyle didn’t have an accident part way through his life; he was born like this. He hasn’t had to adjust, so he knows how to handle all the moves he needs. Kyle has the body and strength of a 200-pound person, and he’s fighting 135-pounders. From a strength standpoint, it’s just not fair.”

Doug Drexler full article can be found at the following link: http://www.examiner.com/x-7825-Tampa-MMA-Examiner~y2009m4d23-Kyle-Maynard-Legit-fighter-or-freak-show-video-footage

Final Thoughts

• Kyle Maynard deserves the opportunity just like any other trained fighter to compete in a MMA format. Maynard resume speaks for itself. I just hope in future fights his opponents challenge him on the floor where the true excitement lies.

Check out these articles (or search Kyle Maynard and get over 300,000)

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution by Steve Hummer Sunday April 26, 2009

Sports Illustrated by Josh Gross – Friday, April 24, 2009

Amputee’s first MMA fight

Fight fallout

His story

Dream come True

The case for Kyle

Additional Tidbits:

Kyle Maynard was born in 1986 with congenital amputation (no forearms, shortened legs and stands only four feet tall)

TV Appearances:

Kyle Maynard chats with Kevin Showalter at the June 27, 2007 "Meet & Greet". Kyle and Kevin were classmates at Turnstone preschool and Brentwood Elementary.

• Oprah Winfrey Show
• Larry King Live (2 times)
• Good Morning America
• Early Show
• Spike TV
• ABC’s 20/20 (2 times)
• HBO Real Sports (2 times)

Magazine:

• USA Today
• Know Your World Extra
• Vanity Fair
• Readers Digest
• ESPN The Magazine
• Men’s Journal
• Modeled for Abercombie & Fitch

Awards:

• 2004 ESPY for Best Athlete with a Disability,
• The Sullivan Award, nomination
• President’s Award for Courage @ Humanitarian Hall of Fame
• World Record for modified bench press of 360 lbs (March 2005 at the Arnold Fitness Classic)

Attended: 2004 U.S. Wrestling Olympic Team Trials, Junior Olympics

Currently works

• Speaker for the Washington Speaker’s Bureau, specializing in motivational speeches (including in United Kingdom & Japan)
• President of No Excuses Athletics…. Learn more athttp://www.noexcusesathletics.com

Author: No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life (Regnery Publishing, 2005; ISBN 0-89526-011-5).

Keep an eye out for an upcoming documentary on his life entitled A Fighting Chance. It’s currently in production and is scheduled for release in early 2009. Learn more at aFightingChanceMovie.com