VIDEO | MMA fighter with Down syndrome wins inspiring fight with guillotine choke

By Russell Ess - June 28, 2017

Garrett Holeve David Steffan

It took less than two minutes for Garrett Holeve, also known as “G-Money” to take out his opponent in his last fight.

Holeve is an adaptive athlete from South Florida with Down syndrome and is an inspiration to other adaptive athletes looking to compete just like anyone else.

Garrett Holeve Ricardo Lamas

According to Local10, this was Holeve’s third sanctioned MMA fight and it ended rather quickly after training for nearly two months for the bout. Holeve fought against another adaptive athlete and stunned him with a kick and shots to the body before securing a guillotine choke to end the fight in under a minute and a half. Both fighters are leading the way for other adaptive athletes, breaking through as role models showing other athletes with disabilities that they surely have the ability to compete.

Garrett Holeve David Steffan

While things seem to be moving forward with Holeve’s MMA journey, it wasn’t always so smooth. Back in 2014, Holeve’s first scheduled fight in Florida was canceled just minutes before he was set to step into the cage. A cease-and-desist letter from the boxing commission was served to the promotion before the two adaptive athletes could compete.

“I think it just says to all adaptive athletes, ‘Look, it doesn’t matter what your sport is, but there’s an opportunity for you to get out there,” Mitch Holeve said about his son.

Now coming off his big win, Garrett will go back to his home gym where he trains and coaches children and other adaptive athletes. His role as a coach is a way for Garrett to give back to his community and his father says it has also helped him find his own identity.

“Coming here to the gym, the coaches, and his teammates, he has friends, so I think it’s given him that outlet to feel part of something,” Mitch Holeve said.

on 6/28/2017.

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM


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