MMA was built on taking contractual advantage of fighters not having certain protections that professional boxers enjoy via the Ali Act or that unionized athletes have through collective bargaining. Its not just promoters who get to exploit lack of legal protection, managers also have this ability. This week a tweet made the rounds showing just … More Should MMA Managers Be Better Regulated?
Adding to this site’s data base of safety research summaries, a recent study was published in Research in Sports Medicine finding brain injury severity was worse in individual sports vs teams sports suggesting better brain health education is needed. In the study, titled Traumatic brain injuries in paediatric patients: individual vs team sports-related hospitalizations, the … More Study Calls For More Brain Health Education in Youth Individual Sports
After ongoing advocacy through our charitable organization Fighting Foundation I am very proud to announce that this week Ontario’s Athletics Commissioner became the latest regulator to share concussion, CTE and other vital brain health information with fighters. Ontario is Canada’s biggest jurisdiction and the Commission just enjoyed their busiest year of regulation since 1950 overseeing 29 … More Thank you Ontario Athletic Commission For Sharing Brain Health Information With Your Fighters!
Following British Columbia’s lead, last month the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Department of Athletic Regulation became the first Tribal athletic commission in North America to team up with the charitable organization Fighting Foundation to help spread brain health knowledge awareness in combat sports. The commission unanimously voted to use and distribute the CTE and … More Thank you Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Department of Athletic Regulation!
These past few weeks have been ugly in the world of combat sports. UFC president Dana White slapped his wife in the head. Twice. On video. His only explanation was extraordinary drunkenness. The Ultimate Fighter 1 and UFC veteran Stephan Bonnar died of yet unconfirmed causes. He was only in his mid 40’s. With reports … More Let’s Talk Domestic Violence, Combat Sports and CTE
The Ali Expansion Act is an effort to introduce the protections the Ali Act gives to professional boxers to other pro combat sports athletes. In 2016 then congressman Markwayne Mullin introduced the legislation. It died on the vine in the Trump administration. Mullin is now a Senator and, according to retired UFC Veteran and Mixed … More Ali Expansion Act Reportedly Coming Back in 2023
New research was published this week in the British Journal of Sports Medicine shedding more light on the prevalence of the progressive brain disease CTE in the combat sports community. In the study, titled Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome: application of new criteria to a cohort exposed to repetitive head impacts, the authors accessed data from the … More Study – 41% of Retired Fighters Likely Have CTE – The More Bouts the Higher the Risk
Extreme dehydration followed by rapid weight gain are common in combat sports. Many well documented injuries and even deaths are linked to these practices. But they persist because athletes believe they have a competitive advantage if they outweigh their opponents by the time of competition. A recent study revealed that these beliefs are supported. In … More Study – Fighters Who Regain More Weight Post Weigh in Enjoy More Success
Although not combat sports specific a recent study published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport sheds important light on repercussions of youth concussion. The study, titled The impact of concussion on school performance in Australian children: a population-based matched cohort study, reviwed thousands of childreen who had concussions and compared them to … More Study – Concussed Kids Have 75% Higher Risk of Not Completing Grade 12
Julie Kedzie is a pioneer. One of the earliest stars of women’s mixed martial arts. Winning tournaments, championships and displaying her talent on platforms such as Showtime back when the UFC refused to have women competing in their promotion. Her resume speaks for itself. Even after retirement from competition Kedzie continues to contribute to the … More Julie Kedzie Pledges Brain For CTE Research
Combat Sports Law 