Although Maynard's MMA career fell flat on its face after his loss to Bryan Fry (watch the fight video here!) he still managed to use the experience in a productive way. It should also be noted that he was an accomplished highschool wrestler prior to his MMA debut who had earned the 2004 ESPY award for Best Athlete with a Disability. In 2005 he published the book No Excuses: The True Story of a Congenital Amputee Who Became a Champion in Wrestling and in Life which earned him interviews with Oprah and Larry King. There is no doubt that Maynard is a fighter at heart who has used adversity as stepping stones and rightly deserves kudos for that.
Yet, his desire to compete in MMA can hardly be regarded as courage since the odds will always be stacked sky-high against him. Stepping in a cage with an opponent who is not lacking any limbs will always be a suicide-act for Maynard, no matter how anyone tries to spin this madness. Aside from that he would never be allowed to fight on a sanctioned fight card in light of his handicap.
While political correctness has its place in sports an athlete's safety and fairness towards all participants should always be paramount goals rather than stroking someone's ego for all the wrong reasons. Hence the para-Olympics were created to give athletes with physical and mental handicaps an opportunity to compete without risking their lives or health.
At the end of the day common sense should prevail and prevent any MMA promotions from turning the cage into a circus as they did with Maynard's MMA debut. ESPN's documentary may be inspiring on some level but it most certainly cannot change the fact that Maynard will never be able to submit an opponent or knock him out unless the guy trips over him and lands on his head.
