Bellator MMA has developed a reputation as a promotion that is unabashedly willing to book what is known in the MMA blogosphere as freak show fights. From backyard brawler Kimbo Slice vs. the obese and unskilled Dada 5000 to old legends rapidly approaching advanced age such as Ken Shamrock vs. Royce Gracie, Bellator has often cast aside the shackles of such things as competition and legitimacy in favor of staging a spectacle that will draw eyes to the show.
However, their signing of the 4’11 Tyler Hulk Hands Freeland, a fighter whose small stature is attributable to dwarfism, and subsequent booking of his match against Twin Falls Idaho’s Joe The Manwich Hamilton, is a far cry from freak show fodder.
Packing 145lbs of power into his small frame, Freeland compiled a respectable amateur record of 15 wins and 6 losses, with 9 of his wins coming by way of TKO before turning pro. From there, he began his professional career with three wins before signing on the dotted line with Bellator.
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Freeland fought for Bellator for the first time on May 20th of this year, marking the first time a fighter with dwarfism has competed for a major promotion. Unwilling to throw him a softball his first time out, Freeland squared off against a man with also entered their fight with a 3-0 record.
While still nothing short of an inspirational story, Tyler Hulk Hands Freeman would go on to quickly lose his Bellator debut by rear naked choke in the first round.
Jeff Warsaw is the former executive editor of Long Island MMA Magazine, professional combat sports public address announcer for several NY/NJ MMA and kickboxing promotions, and a proud one-stripe white belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under the famed Joe D’Arce. He is currently a musician, coffee enthusiast and host of the Stranger In A Strange Land podcast on YouTube.
