Zion Clark, All-American Wrestler Born Without Legs To Fight In MMA
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.
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.
On December 17, Clark will also embark another amazing journey as he is set to compete in mixed martial arts for the first time. In an interview with TMZ Sports, the former All-American wrestler discussed his venture into the cage and promised to “knock out able-bodied people.”
“It’s the same as it was wrestling for me,” Clark said. “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.
“I’m trying to run this s**t up! It’s not just a rinky-dink fight. This s**t’s going on pay-per-view. This shit is a legit sanctioned fight… It’s gonna be big!” Clark added.
To prepare for the fight, Clark has been training with former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and former Bellator featherweight titleholder AJ McKee.
As of press time, Clark does not know who his opponent is. Also, the promotion has not yet been revealed.
The condition that Clark was born with occurs every one in 60,000 live births.
