Max Ordman was born deaf and mute, but took up wrestling in 1943 and won his first South African national championship in the heavyweight division in 1946. His next major titles came in 1950, when he was the South African and Maccabiah Games cruiserweight champion, but he returned to heavyweight in 1951 and took the national championship once again. By 1953 he was back to cruiserweight and defended his title at the next two editions of the Maccabiah Games. He took the 1956 South African national championship at cruiserweight and attended the 1960 Summer Olympics as a heavyweight. At the Games he was defeated in his first two bouts by Iran’s Yaqub-Ali Shourvarzi and Sweden’s Bertil Antonsson and was eliminated. He retired from active competition shortly after. Outside of wrestling he played rugby, cricket, tennis, and soccer. By career he worked as a manufacturing jeweler and also helped found the South African Deaf Athletes Association.
South Africa