The Doggy Bag: Spider Venom

What are your thoughts on Kyle Maynard finally getting to make his MMA debut? I'm still not completely sure how I feel about it all. On the one hand, I do think his story is incredibly inspiring, and I am interesting in seeing if he can actually win a fight in the cage. However, I can't really visualize how someone without full arms can actually win a fight, and part of me fears what people will think about MMA if he loses badly, seeing an amputee get smashed in the cage.

I really do hope he wins, for the sake of the sport and avoiding media criticism, but I'm really not sure if I think he should be allowed to fight or not.
-- Chad

Editors note: Maynard was defeated by unanimous decision Saturday night.

Jordan Breen, radio host and columnist: I had Kyle on my radio show when he was first seeking licensure in the state of Georgia, and I stated then that I had no problem with him fighting MMA. While I find it unfortunate that Alabama can be so richly exploited to avoid protocol (the forthcoming Mercer-Sylvia cage boxing bout counts here, too), my sentiments remain the same.

Firstly, I think much of the objection to Maynard fighting MMA comes from the persistent, plaguing protectionist attitude so many still have about the sport of mixed martial arts. What anyone -- fan, media, ignoscenti or otherwise -- may think of the sport should never be a criterion as to whether or not an individual can compete in the sport. There is undoubtedly a sense that the potential vision of a congenital amputee getting punched repeatedly with five-ounce gloves is somehow inhumane and reprehensible, and should be guarded against at all costs. However, the MMA world lets much more intolerable things slide every day without a word.

Make no mistake, Kyle Maynard can't do all the things someone will full legs and arms can do, and certainly that constrains him in terms of fighting MMA. However, he's wrestled for over a decade, and has been training both in submission grappling and for MMA for the last several years. Meanwhile, MMA is full of shows where brave drunks hop in the cage on dares, and where strong, visible promotions under athletic commission auspices put overmatched and severely untrained foes in the cage fairly regularly, and not a peep is heard. While Maynard may lack an extra couple of inches on his limbs, there are "able-bodied" participants in MMA who are accepted when frankly, their lack of training and ability should be more of a worry for bodily harm and damage than Maynard.

If the objections of people in the MMA world are truly predicated on Maynard's personal safety, how do they view it as tolerable that he was allowed to play football, as a nose tackle no less, with linemen falling on him and quite literally breaking his bones? How is it that people can say that it's "okay" for him to wrestle and do submission grappling, two sports where full-body injury is hardly a rare occurrence. And, again, if the idea of someone who supposedly "can't protect themselves" getting punched is so objectionable, where is the moral hysteria when woefully undertrained fighters get into the cage every weekend, with full limbs?

Perhaps most importantly, Kyle Maynard isn't fighting Miguel Torres. He isn't even fighting a reputable, serious fighter. He's facing an 0-2 amateur fighter, who probably hasn't spent a scintilla of the time in the gym that he has. Worst case scenario, he gets punched in the face a lot; thankfully, this is MMA, and not the “Thunderdome,” so there's a referee there to protect him.

Ultimately, people's objections to Maynard fighting have very little to do with competition or safety, and more to do with the irrational fear that somehow, the sight of a congenital amputee fighting in the cage will lead to some firestorm against MMA.

There is no way to avoid the freakshow aspect of Maynard fighting: he is, and will always be, a congenital amputee, so the interest in his athletic pursuits will be driven by his disability. However, I don't see that as any reason to stop him from fighting. MMA is a safe and secure sporting entity. He's a grown man, and against meager competition like Bryan Fry, his disability doesn't pose a problem so egregious that is seriously jeopardizes Maynard's well-being. If people really want to make cases against fighters who shouldn't be allowed to step into the cage, I suggest they dedicate forum posts and blog column inches to the much more vile sorts of egregious matchmaking that permeates local MMA scenes worldwide.