Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight veteran Tom Lawler is one of the most game fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. Heck, his style of fighting and gritty pursuit of victory has earned him the nickname, “Filthy.”
But even for a guy who makes a living out of going toe-to-toe with the best human weapons on the planet, brain trauma is not something you can stop with a punch. Instead, symptoms relating to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a disease found in the brain of athletes subjected to repetitive head trauma, need to be addressed immediately.
For Lawlor, his unfortunate experience with concussions, the leading symptom of CTE, has sparked a conversation that has thus far eluded MMA, for the most part.
“There’s some stuff that goes on with me that I’m not really sure what the deal is, but it makes me think twice about fighting after having some sort of head trauma,” said the 32-year-old in a recent interview with SB Nation‘s Stephie Haynes and the Three Amigos podcast (h/t FOX Sports). “Six months ago, I had a concussion, and I’m not sure how much I ever really recovered from it.”
While other sports organizations like the NFL and WWE have experienced serious drawbacks from CTE, MMA hasn’t quite reached that valley. But in case there is some sort of epidemic on the rise, it’s good that someone of Lawlor’s stature is able to talk about it openly.
“When you suffer a concussion, it’s easy to deal with on a daily basis for the most part, but the stuff down the road is what’s really worrisome,” added Lawlor. “That’s just kinda been in the back of my head, so right now, I’m just not looking to fight in the immediate future.”
Hopefully, Lawlor can find the answers he’s looking for moving forward, because he’s one of the most exciting fighters to watch in all of MMA.