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You’ve got the fight for your right to fight.
There’s a lot of things that we all take for granted. Not all of us want to be fighters, but if we wanted to – nobody could stop us. Some people don’t have that luxury.
Meet G Money, an MMA fighter living with down syndrome. Actually, scratch out “MMA”, this guy’s just a fighter, period. He’s been fighting his entire life. He’s fought against society’s standards, he’s fought against bullies and ignorant people, and he’s fought against anyone who’s ever told him he can’t do something…
He hasn’t been allowed to fight MMA in Florida because of his disability, so they started a petition and then took it to the courts. He got 125k signatures, even more than Nick Diaz.
“My name is Garrett Holeve and I am a 24-year-old with Down syndrome who has been training as a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter for over four years in Florida. Since I became involved in MMA it has become a very important part of my life. I was recently denied the opportunity to compete as a MMA fighter. This is not the first time I have been denied. These denials undermine my progress in my sport and embarrass me.” – Garrett Holeve, aka G Money.
Garrett has gotten support from all over the world, and won the court battle. Now, he’s allowed to follow his dreams and to fight.
The National Down Syndrome Society released a statement in defense of Garrett:
“We are concerned that Garrett is being discriminated against based on his disability, in this case Down syndrome… he is asking for full-inclusion and full-participation in the sport of his choosing, and we stand behind Garrett and his family as they fight to ensure Garrett can achieve his own hopes, dreams, and aspirations.” – Sarah Hart Weir, president of the NDSS.
Heartwarming. But now you probably want to see him fight, right? We’re proud to have the opportunity to feature Garrett’s first bout, so check out the video on the next page.
Watch the video on the next page:
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