Mark Schultz the Fighter
There’s pain you have to live with, and pain you can put behind you, if only the right fixes are made. And Mark Schultz knows it better than almost anyone.
Equipped with some of the most potent wrestling ever seen in mixed martial arts, Schultz’s sole UFC bout seemed to herald the beginning of a career every bit as good as his credentials. A gold medalist at the 1984 Olympics, Schultz used lightning-quick takedowns and punishing strikes to stop Gary Goodridge in 1996 at UFC 9, filling in on late notice with an impressive showing.
A three-time NCAA and two-time world champion, Schultz had overcome a belated start in wrestling and a hardscrabble childhood to establish himself on the scene. But even by the harsh standards of a fighter’s quest to build a name and move up in the game, Schultz’s journey was exceptionally rough.
He’s battled back problems, a staph infection that nearly cost him an arm and an ongoing divorce and custody battle over his three children that lingers to this day. And in 1996, his brother, Dave, a fellow gold medalist and college grappling legend, was senselessly murdered by John DuPont, sponsor of the brothers’ wrestling team.