One armed kickboxer stunned combat sport fans when he stepped into the ring i regular tournament. Not only that, he also knocked out his opponent in the first round.
Many sports in the world are open to including athletes with various physical disabilities to compete in their events. However, when it comes to combat sports, it’s very rare and hard to do the same. One popular combat sport that involves people with disabilities is wheelchair boxing. Just like its name, the sport involves people with leg disabilities to compete in the ring using a wheelchair.
However, one odd match happened in a kickboxing competition in Argentina. A one armed man named Carlos Machado competed against Emmanuel Vallejo who is able bodied and has both of his arms intact.
The end of the match was even more surprising with Machado coming out as the winner. The match was intense and ramped up not long after the horn sounded. Machado delivered hard punches and kicks while evading Vallejo’s counter attacks.
However, Machado put more power in his strikes that pushed Vallejo on the ropes. Vallejo couldn’t do much as he was just blocking with his gloves up. Then, Machado delivered several side kicks that landed right on Vallejo’s head. Vallejo lost balance and dropped flat on the canvas.
The match ended in the first round, with barely a minute and a half to go before the end of the segment with the crowd cheering loudly for Machado.
Carlos Machado was not born with one arm. When he was three years old, he suffered a malignant tumor that required several surgeries. However, these cells grow uncontrollably and would only go away with amputation.
Machado’s story is definitely inspiring. The 26-year-old has been practicing muay thai since he was 15 years old. Not long after, he started to compete against the able bodied. Machado uses everything he has to find his way to victory.
A while back, he said that he trains twice as hard to compensate for his disability.
“I try to tighten up the fights more and that’s how I compensate. I hit quite hard, it’s one of my skills. I’ve gotten used to my condition since childhood and I’m more of a counter-puncher. In muay thai it’s a little more difficult for me in the clinch ), the fight is short distance, and it is what I train the most to feel comfortable. But since I just started this year, I think that in everything I have to have more training.” Machado said.