At UFC 203 Farbricio Werdum won a unanimous decision against Travis Browne in the co-main event. A controversial moment arose in Round 1, however, when Browne injured his finger from a Werdum (legal) strike and basically called timeout with the referee intervening and allowing a stoppage of the action. (I would provide a GIF of … More What if Werdum Lost? A Quick Legal Breakdown
One topic I often revisit is the reality that gloves in combative sports such as boxing, kickboxing and MMA do a great job protecting from superficial injury but likely lead to an increase of traumatic brain injury and CTE. This week I had the pleasure of picking up a hard copy of Jason Thalken’s “Fight … More Let’s Talk Physics, Gloves, Combat Sports and Brain Trauma
Ohio has some unique rules on their books when it comes to weigh ins and all UFC 203 athletes setting foot into the Buckeye State for the first time ought to be aware of these. Somewhat controversially, Ohio has gone against the grain in the recent trend of earlier weigh ins anchored in the belief … More A Quick Weight Cut Primer for UFC 203 Athletes
This week former professional wrestler Phil Brooks (aka CM Punk) is making his long anticipated debut in the UFC. Brooks’ debut at the sports highest stage is controversial as he has no history of amateur or professional MMA bouts and unlike some professional wrestlers who made the crossover such as Brock Lesnar, he does not … More Is Ohio Bending the Rules for CM Punk’s UFC Debut?
Adding to this site’s archived articles addressing rapid extreme weight cut practices in combat sports, a recent study was published in the Journal of The Physician and Sports Medicine evaluating competition results in boxing with athletes who practiced Rapid Weight Gain after weigh ins. In the study, titled Rapid Weight Gain in Professional Boxing and … More Study – Rapid Weight Gain and Weight Discrepancy of No Significance in Boxing Bout Outcomes
Adding to this site’s archived cases awarding damages for piracy of UFC pay per view programs, reasons for judgement were recently released awarding $7,000 in damages for the commercial piracy of UFC 159. In the recent case (Joe Hand Promotions, Inc v. Richter) the Defendant operated a commercial establishment which displayed UFC 159 without paying … More $7,000 in Damages Awarded Following Piracy of UFC 159
After UFC 202 Nate Diaz controversially vaped CBD oil at the post fight press conference leading USADA to open an investigation into his actions. At the conference Diaz suggested he ingested CBD oil before and after competition telling reporters that “It helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that. So you want to … More Diaz to NSAC – No Weed in Month Before UFC 202
Today I had the pleasure of making an appearance on the Fight Network’s MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency discussing some of the latest legal topics in combat sports. You can find the full interview here: I’d like to thank Gabriel for having me as a guest. For those of you visiting here for the first time after listening welcome! For … More Talking Diaz, McGregor, Marijuana, Vaping, Water Bottles and More on The Fight Network
Update October 6, 2016 – USADA has issued Diaz a public warning for this anti-doping policy violation but sensibly nothing more. USADA issued the following press release– USADA announced today that UFC athlete Nate Diaz, of Stockton, Calif., has admitted using a prohibited substance during the in-competition period and has accepted a public warning for … More Why Nate Diaz’s Post UFC Vaping May Be OK with the NSAC but not USADA
Adding to this site’s archives of combat sports safety studies, The Journal of Sports Health published a data review concluding that MMA combatants suffer an in competition injury rate between 22.9 and 28.6%. In the recent study the authors reviewed 35 years of publications detailing injury rates in MMA or thier component sports. The data … More Study Review – MMA Participants Face 22%-28% In-Competition Injury Rate
Combat Sports Law 