https://www.mmanews.com/news/ufc/ufc-invites-brain-health-education-summit/
Mixed martial arts is a combat sport and when you’re training and competing in it, it’s impossible to avoid withstanding a degree of physical damage by it’s very nature. That being said, with more knowledge and technology at our disposal, there are a lot of ways that the sport can be made safer than ever before.
One of the biggest health developments across sports as a whole is the greater understanding of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. CTE is one of the biggest concerns for combat sports athletes because of the constant risk of head injuries and concussions which can have a negative affect on the brain.
The awareness of this has grown massively in recent years which is especially important in a time where the health and future of former fighters has been a big talking point this year amidst the ongoing Le v. Zuffa lawsuit. In a recent development, the UFC are also taking matters into their own hands in order to provide greater education on how to prevent damage being done to the brain.
In a recent message that was sent out to key personnel in the MMA world, the UFC’s Performance Institute invited people to attend the MMA leader’s first “Brain Health Education Summit”, as seen below.
The invite was posted on social media by combat sports lawyer Eric Magraken.
“Hello UFC athletes, managers, and coaches, UFCPI is thrilled to announce it’s first-ever Brain Health Education Summit! Don’t miss this incredibly opportunity to hear directly from top researchers and the UFCPI team on the latest insights and practices to boost brain health, manage concussions and elevate performance.”
Hey im all for it, spencer fisher is just one of mmmmmmmaaaaaannnnnyyyy just heart breaking examples…
But…
Your job is getting punched in the head…
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I agree but although I don’t know the content of this summit, there are at least things they can recommend to lessen damage.
I’ve heard it said before by doctors attached to the sport, and some coaches, that training and sparring is the biggest area that needs to be focused on.
How much head trauma does a fighter really need to take in practice to be ready for fights, or coming up through the ranks until they’re ready for the bright lights of proper pro events?
When will Power Slap do this?
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UFC Produces In-Depth Conversation With Concussion Expert: ‘I’m Not Concerned About Concussion Injuries’
November 27, 2024
The conversation and knowledge surrounding concussions and the affects they can have on a fighter both during and after their careers are more prominent and extensive today than they have ever been. This is a huge positive for combat sports across the board and it’s something that the MMA leader is placing more focus and emphasis on.
Alongside studies written and posted by the likes of Erik Magraken, the UFC has started taking responsibility into it’s own hands by releasing its own studies or recently announcing the promotion’s first brain health education summit with invites being sent to athletes, managers and coaches.
In the latest release of more important information regarding brain health from the promotion, UFC commentator John Gooden sat down for an extensive and in-depth conversation with concussion expert Dr Cameron Marshall. The full discussion lasts nearly one hour and 20 minutes and is available via the UFC Fight Pass platform or the YouTube channel.
The chat is full of interesting takeaways but perhaps one of the most important is the following statement from Marshall. He explains why, when looking at the studies and research that has been conducted, receiving numerous concussions throughout a fighter’s career isn’t the main cause for concern.
The real danger is when those concussions come in a short space of time meaning that they have a greater impact.
“I’m not one to try and change sports like there’s people to be like, ‘we gotta ban MMA because of concussion.’ It’s not the concussion that’s the problem and I say this as a concussion researcher. I’m not concerned about concussion injuries, I’m concerned about multiple concussions in a short-time proximity because the research basically shows so far that if you get a concussion and you recover from that concussion and you get another one, it’s just another concussion. You don’t have this additive cumulative effect but when they’re back-to-back within that temporal window of vulnerability we call it, then you start to get additive and cumulative effects.”