One of the most promising regulatory trends in the last year are numerous State, Tribal and Provincial athletic commissions sharing key information with the industry about concussion and CTE which are some of the biggest occupational hazards professonal fighters face. It makes perfect sense that regulators, who are in charge of health and safety issues, … More Wyoming Latest Commission To Share CTE and Concussion Information with Fighters

I’ve spent a lot of time on this site discussing the standard of care of combat sports coaches and the possibility of negligence lawsuits.  This week headlines broke illustrating such concerns are not merely academic.  A California based brazilian jiu jitsu club was ordered to pay substantial damages to an injured student following jury findings of … More Jiu Jitsu Club Ordered to Pay Paralyzed Student $46 Million in Damages For Negligence

In the near 30 year history of modern Mixed Martial Arts last night may have given the sport the most neglectful late stoppage involving a grappling exchange. The headlining bout for Fury FC 76 ended in submission via armbar. It took place in San Antonio, Texas. Gianni Vasquez was strangled unconscious in a triangle. The referee … More Texas Appears Indifferent to Neglectful MMA Bout Stoppage

This week Conor McGregor confirmed he is not in USADA’s anti-doping testing pool but that he is in constant communication with USADA and all he has to do is provide two negative samples and he is cleared to return. USADA replied noting they have no meeting scheduled with Conor and generally returning athletes must be … More Conor McGregor UFC Return and USADA Anti-Doping Waivers

Update February 28, 2023 – After writing this article I decided to conduct a quick poll to inquire about people’s knowledge about headgear when they first sparred. Although Twitter polls are not scientific this poll largely mirrors my discussion with many combat sports practitioners. The majority mis-understand the safety benefits of headgear. And many wrongly … More Headgear Manufacturers Would Be Wise To Have Concussion Warnings

Today MMAFighting reports that Diego Sanchez is filing a formal appeal with the New Mexico Athletic Commission seeking to overturn the result in his recent loss to Austin Trout in BKFC over allegations of greasing. As with all combat sports appeals the laws of the jurisdiction in question need to be scrutinized and here New … More Liberal New Mexico Greasing Rules And the Diego Sanchez Bare Knuckle Boxing Appeal

Today the WBC Board of Governors released a ruling disposing of a doping charge against Conor Benn, The WBC partner with the Voluntary Anti Doping Association who conduct testing of ranked boxers with the WBC. Benn provided a sample that tested positive for Clomiphene. A substance banned at all times under the program. Benn provided … More WBC Brushes Off Conor Benn Clomiphene Charge Due to “highly-elevated consumption of eggs”

Dana White and those behind his slap fighting venture “PowerSlap” boast about the show’s early success mimicking the early days of the UFC. One of the early stories of the UFC was the sport getting the attention of federal politicians and getting relegated what the owners now refer to as the ‘dark ages’. A chapter … More US Congress Members Blast PowerSlap As Brain Trauma Masquerading as Sport

This week Nevada handed out their first ever doping suspension to a slap fighter for having cocaine in their system in competition. The violation brought a 9 month suspension. At the same time the regulator has apparently expressed some concern about slap fighting (notably and unsurprisingly with brain injury rates higher than boxing and MMA) … More Nevada Suspends Slap Fighter For Cocaine, Florida Asked To Legalize the “Sport”

Last year I was very proud to work with Carla Duran and Rose Gracie to help secure hundreds of fighter signatures to petition the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (“ABC”) to create their first ever official fighters committee. Giving athletes an official channel and a voice with their regulatory parent organization. Today the … More ABC “Athletes Voice” Committee Hits the Ground Running!