Zion Clark, a wrestler who was born without legs. has won his first professional mixed martial arts fight on his debut.
The 25-year-old former college wrestler, who was born with no legs due to a rare birth disorder called caudal regression syndrome, fought able-bodied Eugene Murray in California on Saturday night, and won by unanimous decision.
Clark took on Murray in San Diego's Gladiator Challenge and impressed with a series of takedowns in a bid to wrangle his opponent into submission, the Mirror reports. Murray was unable to land head kicks because Clark was deemed to be a "grounded opponent" at all times, and MMA laws stipulate you cannot kick a grounded opponent in the head.
It altered the dynamic of the fight and Clark showed great intent, grounding his opponent on several occasions during the three rounds in the octagon before the judges declared him the winner by unanimous verdict.
Watch the video below:
Upon hearing the result, Clark backflipped back into his corner as fans cheered wildly. Clark moved to 1-0 with the win while Murray, who made his pro debut in 2018, fell to 0-5 with the loss.
Ohio-born fighter Clark holds several Guinness World Records, such as the highest box jump from the hands, the most diamond push-ups in three minutes and the quickest 20-metre run on two hands. Spending much of his youth in foster care, Clark became a talented wrestler and was awarded a university scholarship for his skills on the mat.
He has been taking his journey into MMA from wrestling incredibly seriously, having trained with former UFC stars like Rampage Jackson, Mike Perry and Anderson Silva. Indeed Clark has already declared his intentions to sign with the UFC after internet celebrity Hasbulla, who was born with growth hormone deficiency, signed a UFC contract earlier this year.
After the win over Murray, Clark told TMZ Sports: “It’s the same as it was wrestling for me. I just wrestle against able-bodied people, and I beat able-bodied people. Now I’m fighting able-bodied people, and I’m gonna knock out able-bodied people. It’s as simple as that. I’m a fighter.”
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