Zion Clark is a Guinness world record holder, an accomplished wrestler, a track and field star, and now he’s looking to take over the MMA world.
The 26-year-old, who was born without legs due to a rare birth defect called Caudal Regression Syndrome, went viral last month after winning his pro-MMA debut, earning a unanimous decision victory over Eugene Murray at Gladiator Challenge.
Zion Clark won his MMA debut tonight via UD.
Absolute legend! What a takedown. pic.twitter.com/G8Z5a0Q3af
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) December 18, 2022
Now that Clark has gotten a taste of being an MMA pro, he’s ready to make the jump to the big leagues and is looking to make his mark in the MMA world.
“I’m a certified pro now. So with that being said, that’s just the next step. And then the next step after this is the big leagues. So just how I went pro in track and field, how I hit the highest levels of wrestling, there’s no difference. The work ethic stays the same.
“I still have a good ten years of me to make my stamp in the MMA world, make my stamp in the martial arts world, which I’ve already been doing, but now we’re taking it to new heights, taking it as far as I can go. And this next door I’m about to cross through is going to be the limit of what you can do in the sport.
“So I definitely see a long career out of this. Me, personally, just being a wrestler, I turned 26 this year. I started when I was six, so that’s been in there a long time, and I see a long career out of this, too.”
Clark credits his win to the work he put in with Antonio Mckee at Team Bodyshop, which saw him training with MMA pros like AJ Mckee and Kimbo Slice Jr., among others.
“Those guys are some of the best in the world, hands down. You look their name up their rank, top three, top two, or AJ was, for a while, number one. Number two, and he’s going back to being number one here soon, number one, but he’s going back to being the champ.
“So having guys like that, that’s what made the difference. If I went to a team that wasn’t as successful as Team Body Shop and destroying their team instead, my skill wouldn’t be where it’s at. I credit all my skill to God. I credit the drive that was instilled in me to my family, and I credit the work ethic to Team Body Shop.”
As far as his inspiration to get into MMA, Clark says that watching Jon Jones, one of the few prominent black MMA athletes at the time, win his first UFC championship inspired him to get into martial arts.
“Man, I watched Jon Jones win his first UFC title. That’s what really sparked it for me…I’m a black man. You look at martial arts, we did not have a big presence going, like, whether it was wrestling, whether it was any type of martial arts.
“So seeing somebody like Jon Jones stand at the top of the world, seeing somebody wrestling like Jordan Burrows stand at the top of the world, be number one. Be number one. Me being in a very low income area and being not having nothing, it really woke something up in me. And on top of that, I was a wrestler, man. Martial arts is in my blood, so making that transition just was a no brainer to me.”
The now 1-0 MMA pro is looking to fight as soon as possible and wants a tougher opponent this time around to test his skills.
“As soon as possible. Honestly, I want to make sure I’m completely healed up and make sure that I’m completely prepared, just like I was for this last fight. I want a tougher opponent. I want somebody that’s not afraid of my grappling game. I want somebody to really get in there with me.”
As to which organization he wants to sign him.
“Personally, whoever offers me the best contract, that’s where I’m going.”
You can read more about Zion’s incredible inspirational journey in his upcoming book ‘Worth With What You Got” which is set to release in Aprl.