VIDEO: Zion Clark, wrestler born without legs, wins MMA debut
Zion Clark was born with a rare birth defect called caudal regression syndrome, a disorder that impairs the development of the lower half of the body. The condition that Clark was born with occurs every one in 60,000 live births.
The 25-year-old former collegiate wrestler out of Ohio earned his first mixed martial arts win on Saturday in San Diego at “Gladiator Challenge: Seasons Beatings” when he earned a unanimous decision over Eugene Murray. Clark earned a score of 30-27 on all three judges’ cards.
Born in Ohio in 1997, Clark was later put up for adoption where he bounced around the foster care system.
In elementary school Clark was introduced to wrestling. It took a while for the youngster to get a grasp on the demanding sport and didn’t win a single match for years. But, after meeting his High School wrestling coach, a bond was formed between the two and things began to click for Clark.
As a senior, he finished 33-15 … wrestling against kids who had four limbs. Clark then went to Kent State, where he continued his successful wrestling career.
Clark is now training for the 2024 Olympics and also has hopes of competing in the Paralympics in wheelchair racing, where he’s one of the most elite racers in the world. The young man is already known as the “fastest man on two hands” after he broke the Guinness world record for the quickest 20m walking on hands. He broke the record in 2021 with a time of 4.78 seconds.
