CTE: The MMA community faces a new problem in tandem with its rapid growth in recent years.

 

 

 

By Dustin Schlagel

 

 

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone holds the record for the most knocked out fighter, being knocked out 8 times in his professional career. (The Sun)

 

LAS VEGAS (March. 31, 2024) – In 2005, Dr. Bennet Omalu of Pittsburgh published his first reported evidence of CTE in an American Football player. In that evidence, Omalu revealed that Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame Center Mike Webster experienced permanent brain trauma because of repeated blows to the head in Football. Since the discovery of CTE in contact sports, many major sport organizations like the NHL and NFL have started to introduce precautionary measures and rule changes to try and prevent CTE in current and future athletes.

 

However, with popular combat sports like MMA and Boxing, Brain trauma isn’t just present, but nearly unavoidable. With interest in MMA growing globally, a discussion about safety precautions in combat sports could be right around the corner.

 

The reality of brain trauma in MMA

In combat sports, especially MMA, the ‘knockout’ is widely considered by many to be the most exciting and must-see part of the fight. In major companies like the UFC, it’s even usually incentivized as it most often brings more attention to the fighter and better ratings for the match. Because of this, many fighters like kickboxer Conner McGregor have specifically tailored their fighting styles to knock out opponents in multiple ways. However, an element in combat fighting not nearly talked about enough is the effects for the fighter on the receiving end of a knockout.

 

In a study done by ZME Science in 2016, it was found that a punch to the head can create enough force when mixed with rapid acceleration to essentially kill off brain cells. The physical impact causes the brain to crash into the skull over and over, until the bodies nervous system eventually can’t handle it anymore, and the body goes into temporary paralysis, or in other words, the fighter gets knocked out. It was also found that if somebody repeatedly suffers hits to the head over an extended period, white matter in the brain can start to die off, creating chronic conditions such as dementia.

 

The long-term effects of taking shots to the head are a topic of worry in the MMA community. According to a study done by The Athletic, 61 percent of MMA athletes worry about long-term brain damage, and 21 percent already feel some of the effects of CTE in their everyday lives.

(Watch Here): UFC owner Dana White talks about Spencer Fisher and his experience with gaining CTE in the UFC

 

Additionally, a study conducted by The British Journal of Sports Medicine showed that 72 percent of the 176 fighters tested suffered from TES. TES (Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome) is a condition like CTE that fighters can be diagnosed with through tests, while CTE can only by diagnosed through an autopsy.

 

Regardless of the many studies and tests that have been conducted to show the long-term effects of CTE and brain trauma, the sport of MMA has continued to quickly grow in popularity. However, as the sports continues to grow in popularity, interest at the youth level raises concerns.

 

The boom of MMA

In 1997, the state of New York banned MMA, deeming the sport to be too violent and brutal. Today, organizations like The IMMAF host nationwide MMA tournaments for youth fighters all over the world. For a sport that was at one point deemed too violent for professional adult athletes, it may come as a shock to many that it can be so freely accessed for youth participants.

 

However, due to a rule set by the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), strikes to the head are banned completely, and any head strike results in instant disqualification. This tweak in the MMA sports rules has mostly eliminated the risk of CTE and brain trauma for youth competitors. Despite head strikes being outlawed, it’s been found that fighters that commit to fighting early have a higher likelihood of being diagnosed with CTE in the future.

 

In the same study conducted by The British Journal of Sports Medicine, it was found that of the combat athletes tested, younger fighters were more likely to test positive for TES. In addition, the tests also showed that fighters with over 25 fights in their career have an increased likelihood of testing positive for TES. On most professional MMA circuits, it’s not unlikely to see most competitors battle in three to four fights per year. Meaning that it’s more than likely that an MMA fighter could face long term brain trauma within 6 to 8 years of their professional career.

 

Although MMA has proven to be one the most dangerous sports due to its long-term health effects, pro fighters remain some of the lowest-paid athletes in the professional sports world. According to a study done by wayofmartialarts.com, it was found that the average UFC fighter made just about $160,000 in 2021, with only 42 percent of fighters earning six figures. For perspective, the average NFL player makes over ten times what the average UFC fighter makes, with the average salary for an NFL player being just over $3,000,000 a year.

 

With low fighter pay and long-term brain trauma creating concerns for many looking to pursue MMA professionally, it puts the future of combat sports in question. With many UFC fighters like Francis Ngannou, Tyron Woodley, and Ben Askren jumping from MMA to safer, higher-paying avenues like boxing, could the future for big MMA companies like UFC and Bellator be in trouble with the next generation of fighters?