A new study suggests that there is a higher occurrence of brain trauma in professional mixed martial arts (MMA) than in other sports such as boxing and other martial arts.
The results, published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine, are due to one-third of professional MMA fights ending in knockout or technical knockout, according to ESPN.
Researchers from the University of Toronto looks at videos and records from 844 Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fights from 2006 to 2012 and found that 108 matches (about 13 percent) ended in knockouts. They also found that 179 bouts (21 percent) ending in technical knockouts, in which the fighter was hit in the head five to 10 times in the last 10 seconds before the referee stopped the match, The Brownsville Herald reported.
"We're taking the premise with this that what you see on TV is one thing, but to kind of add scientific rigor to document it objectively," said Michael Hutchison, co-author and director of the concussion program at the university's MacIntosh Sports Medicine Clinic.
Hutchison added that when looking at technical knockouts (TKOs), the researchers found while watching videos "an increasing number of repetitive strikes to the head" during the last 30 seconds of the fight.
UFC officials argued that MMA has improved its safety regulations to protect fighters, such as including mandatory suspensions after concussions, The Globe And Mail reported. They say the sport is safer than boxing, where fighters usually take constant hits to the head from padded gloves. They added that no deaths or traumatic brain injuries have occurred in an MMA ring.
While Hutchison did not say if MMA should be legal or not, he said that adults should know the risks of the sport so they can make intelligent decisions The Brownsville Herald reported.
The UFC is currently looking to hold fights in New York, The Brownsville Herald reported. Most states have legalized the sport, while some have yet to do so.
New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo sponsored legislation that would allow MMA fights to be held in the states under strict rules. He said that regulating fights would help deal with underground fights.
"I think everybody would agree the objective is to be very sensitive and do everything possible with preventing trauma to the head," Griffo said. "I don't think in any way that should prevent the sport."
