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Missouri sanctions bout between fighters with Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy

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maxcriden

Member
Garrett Holeve and David Steffan will meet in a sanctioned MMA bout in St. Charles, Missouri, currently slated for November 7 at the Ameristar Casino. Why is this particular fight on the regional circuit making waves? Holeve is a fighter with Down syndrome, and Steffan has cerebral palsy.

“Garrett Holeve, an MMA fighter with Down syndrome, will have a sanctioned match against David Steffan, who has Cerebral Palsy, in Missouri.
— Dan Robson (@RobsonDan) October 8, 2014 ”
Holeve has been in the media previously. ESPN featured him on SportsCenter, where reporter Tom Rinaldi spoke about his cognitive ability:

“Garrett is very highly functioning for someone with Down syndrome. He reads, but at or below a third-grade level, and has the cognitive ability of an eight- or nine-year-old. He will likely live with his parents as long as anyone can foresee.”

Holeve started a petition asking the Florida Boxing Commission to allow him to compete, and it has collected over 100,000 signatures. Holeve and Steffan were previously scheduled to compete in Florida, but the commission stepped in to cancel the fight. Now, Holeve will have to travel to the Midwest for the bout, as the Missouri commission has given it the go-ahead.

Thanks to the media coverage, more is known about Holeve and his battle than Steffan. The MMA fighter has his own challenges with cerebral palsy. The two fighters have formed a friendship but will put that aside for however long the fight may go.

Steffan is an inductee in Nebraska's Special Olympics Hall of Fame for soccer.

Sportnet's Dan Robson attended Holeve's February 2013 amateur bout and chronicled the emotions of the fight:

“It’s a scary thing to watch, a man with Down syndrome being punched in the face or driven hard into a mat. The crowd went wild for Garrett, but you could hear the gasps with every blow he endured. It was uncomfortable, but it was real.”

This sanctioned fight will assuredly draw national attention from both supporters and detractors, but it is without question an unprecedented moment in the sport.

The scheduled bout between the two fighters will be sponsored by Fighting for Autism, a charity helping promote autism awareness.
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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ighters-with-down-syndrome-and-cerebral-palsy
 
D

Dead Man

Member
Not sure on this one. I'm all for autonomy of people with Downs, but if his cognitive level is that low I'm not sure I can be in favour of this.

AbsolutBro said:
Wasn't this fight sanctioned before and ultimately canceled?
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4th paragraph:

Holeve started a petition asking the Florida Boxing Commission to allow him to compete, and it has collected over 100,000 signatures. Holeve and Steffan were previously scheduled to compete in Florida, but the commission stepped in to cancel the fight. Now, Holeve will have to travel to the Midwest for the bout, as the Missouri commission has given it the go-ahead.
Click to expand...
 
K

KefkaPalazzo

Member
I'll never claim to be an expert on either, but given my experience working with individuals with Down Syndrome as a volunteer Special Olympics coach, I am a bit sick to my stomach at the idea. I'm a constant advocate for those with special needs getting opportunities, but this just seams to be in incredibly poor taste.
 
E

Exterminieren

Banned
“Garrett is very highly functioning for someone with Down syndrome. He reads, but at or below a third-grade level, and has the cognitive ability of an eight- or nine-year-old. He will likely live with his parents as long as anyone can foresee.”
Click to expand...

Would an eight-year-old be allowed to fight, even if he said he wanted to?

No?

Then don't let this guy fight.
 
A

Alcoholikaust

Member
somehow reminds me of:
tumblr_mrvf7bCd0l1somw7ho1_500.png
 
M

maxcriden

Member
KefkaPalazzo said:
I'll never claim to be an expert on either, but given my experience working with individuals with Down Syndrome as a volunteer Special Olympics coach, I am a bit sick to my stomach at the idea. I'm a constant advocate for those with special needs getting opportunities, but this just seams to be in incredibly poor taste.
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This is my feeling as well. Also, thank you for your volunteer work for the Special Olympics. That is commendable.
 
C

Camwi

Member
FUME5 said:
Damn it, is this progressive or exploitive?
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Both? If the guys want to be MMA fighters they should be allowed to, but their disabilities are obviously part of the promotion, for better or worse.

Exterminieren said:
Would an eight-year-old be allowed to fight, even if he said he wanted to?

No?

Then don't let this guy fight.
Click to expand...

There are places in the US where that is ok. I've seen clips of kids in MMA fights before. Usually they have headgear on, but it's still kind of disturbing to watch.
 
Rest

Rest

All these years later I still chuckle at what a fucking moron that guy is.
Very good. People shouldn't be disallowed to compete because they have disabilities. This is a good opportunity to show that disabled people are still capable of achieving things, especially since it's something the average person couldn't do.
 
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