Tag: Dementia pugilistica

Myth-Busting: Is MMA Really ‘Safer Than Boxing’?


(“See, when boxers get knocked out, their eyes *close*. I rest my case.”)

By George Shunick

If you’re anything like me, chances are you’ve claimed that MMA is safer than boxing whenever some know-it-all claims that MMA is too dangerous to be legalized. (Well, I live in New York, so maybe I get into this argument more than most people.) But the case seems fairly logical; unlike boxers, a significant part of MMA training does not involve striking. Moreover, the type of striking found in MMA targets the full body of the opponent. Boxing only allows punches above the waist and takes place at a closer range, invariably guaranteeing more blows to the head. So it follows that since boxers are struck more in the head throughout months of training and in their fights than MMA fighters are, MMA is a safer sport for the brains of athletes.

Well, common sense and logic help a lot, but ultimately aren’t quite as authoritative as those pesky things called facts. Recently, Sherdog.com conducted an interview with Dr. Charles Bernick, who is in charge of a study of the brain health of professional fighters titled the “Professional Fighters Brain Health Study.” (Creative, isn’t it?) The study is conducted by the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and is designed to last for four years. Its purpose is “to detect subtle changes in brain health that correlate with impaired thinking and functioning. If changes can be detected and interpreted early, there may be a way to reverse or soften trauma-induced brain diseases, like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The study could also point regulators to specific markers in fighters’ brain scans that indicate a problem.”

When pressed if there is a discernible difference between the brain health of boxers and MMA fighters, Dr. Bernick responds:


(“See, when boxers get knocked out, their eyes *close*. I rest my case.”)

By George Shunick

If you’re anything like me, chances are you’ve claimed that MMA is safer than boxing whenever some know-it-all claims that MMA is too dangerous to be legalized. (Well, I live in New York, so maybe I get into this argument more than most people.) But the case seems fairly logical; unlike boxers, a significant part of MMA training does not involve striking. Moreover, the type of striking found in MMA targets the full body of the opponent. Boxing only allows punches above the waist and takes place at a closer range, invariably guaranteeing more blows to the head. So it follows that since boxers are struck more in the head throughout months of training and in their fights than MMA fighters are, MMA is a safer sport for the brains of athletes.

Well, common sense and logic help a lot, but ultimately aren’t quite as authoritative as those pesky things called facts. Recently, Sherdog.com conducted an interview with Dr. Charles Bernick, who is in charge of a study of the brain health of professional fighters titled the “Professional Fighters Brain Health Study.” (Creative, isn’t it?) The study is conducted by the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas and is designed to last for four years. Its purpose is “to detect subtle changes in brain health that correlate with impaired thinking and functioning. If changes can be detected and interpreted early, there may be a way to reverse or soften trauma-induced brain diseases, like Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. The study could also point regulators to specific markers in fighters’ brain scans that indicate a problem.”

When pressed if there is a discernible difference between the brain health of boxers and MMA fighters, Dr. Bernick responds:

“We did look at this, because obviously it’s a common question. And so far — and you have to take our results as somewhat preliminary, probably now we have the full data on maybe 150 fighters — there isn’t a huge difference between boxers and MMA guys. If you kind of match them for the number of fights they’ve had, their age, education and number of fights, there’s not a huge difference. There are some minor differences between the two in certain things, but all in all there’s not a huge difference. And it may be the fact that the fight might not be the important part. It actually might be the training… You know, as we’ve talked to fighters, a lot of them say, well, when you train, we may hold back a little, but sometimes, on the other hand, it depends who you train with. You know, you may be going all-out.”

Well, that’s not encouraging. Maybe there is an issue with hard sparring. Then again, maybe there isn’t. Although Dr. Bernick is clear that “there’s no evidence [MMA is] safer,” he’s also clear that “we don’t have any evidence one way or another, to be honest with you.” This is because the four year study is only in its first year, and there is still the majority of the evidence that remains to be collected and analyzed in the coming years which could easily reverse the study’s findings thus far.

Even if the study’s preliminary observations stand, this doesn’t suddenly devalue the argument for legalization. Last time I checked, sports like boxing and football — which are, if not more dangerous, at least as dangerous — are still legal across the country. The most important consequence of this study will hopefully be a better understanding of the exact relationship between cranial impacts and neurological deterioration. Are brains damaged significantly after only a few hard hits? Are numerous sub-concussive blows more damaging than knockouts? Is there demonstrable evidence that practicing MMA leads to brain trauma, as it does in boxing? In answering these questions, this study might compromise a convenient talking point for the MMA community, but it will provide information that could make the sport safer and prevent more fighters from suffering life-altering brain damage.

Landmark Vegas-Based Research Study to Explore Brain Injury Prevention in Combat Sport Athletes


(RIP Gatti. One of the most solid chins in the game.)

In the wake of Gary Goodridge’s revelation last week that he has been diagnosed with early onset pugilistic dementia, a group from Las Vegas announced last week that it is spearheading a study to determine why some boxers and MMA fighters fall victim to brain injuries while others don’t.

According to the chief investigator from the group, the aim of the landmark project isn’t to try to have contact sports banned, but rather to come up with better methods of prevention when it comes to protecting fighters from acquiring irreversible neurological damage.

“You can’t stop these sports, and the last thing we want to do is stop these sports,” Dr. Charles Bernick, the chief investigator for the project told the Sac Bee. “But we want to be able to protect athletes from long-term brain issues.”


(RIP Gatti. One of the most solid chins in the game.)

In the wake of Gary Goodridge’s revelation last week that he has been diagnosed with early onset pugilistic dementia, a group from Las Vegas announced last week that it is spearheading a study to determine why some boxers and MMA fighters fall victim to brain injuries while others don’t.

According to the chief investigator from the group, the aim of the landmark project isn’t to try to have contact sports banned, but rather to come up with better methods of prevention when it comes to protecting fighters from acquiring irreversible neurological damage.

“You can’t stop these sports, and the last thing we want to do is stop these sports,” Dr. Charles Bernick, the chief investigator for the project told the Sac Bee. “But we want to be able to protect athletes from long-term brain issues.”

Although Goodridge’s condition is the first major noted case of a head trauma-related brain disorder in the history relatively young sport of MMA, there is a long list of notable boxers in the past century who have suffered from traumatic accumulative brain injuries.

Joe Louis had dementia symptoms attributed to his boxing career. Sugar Ray Robinson, who logged 1,403 rounds as a professional fighter, developed Alzheimer’s disease. Jerry Quarry, a heavyweight contender who fought Muhammad Ali twice, died at age of 53 from complications brought on by dementia pugilistica. Quarry’s brother and fellow former boxer, Mike, died from the same thing at age of 55.

Bernick says that around 150 current boxers and mixed martial arts fighters have already taken their first set of tests for the planned four-year study, which is funded mostly by Las Vegas hotel magnate Kirk Kerkorian. Testing is done at Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in downtown Las Vegas. They hope to quadruple the number of participants.

One perk for fighters involved in the investigation is they receive a free MRI scan to set the baseline for the testing. Fighters typically, especially ones who compete for smaller shows and who pay for their own medical costs, opt for CT scans, which are less expensive, yet have greater health risks, including cancer. MRIs can cost anywhere between $800 and $1000.

Those who have signed up for the study applaud the group for its efforts.

“It’s my profession and I want to pursue a long, healthy life,” said Diego Magdaleno, an undefeated super featherweight currently ranked No. 2 by the World Boxing Association. “If there is anything that will help me keep from going into the deep end with any kind of severe injury I’m all for it. When I first heard about it I wasn’t too interested because I didn’t understand it all, but after it was explained to me, I’m all for it. I want to be an inspiration to others and make them come in and do their tests, too.”

Besides looking into whether or not there is a clear-cut reason why some fighters develop Alzheimer’s or PD , Bernick says they are hopeful they will be able to come to a better understanding of the physiology of the conditions to help them predict which fighters are more at risk for brain damage later in their lives.

“Our study is not to prove that getting hit in the head will lead to brain damage. We know that already in some sense,” he said. “We know being exposed to repetitive blows to the head is a risk factor to developing these conditions, but you can’t prove it in any one person unless you have an autopsy.We don’t know why two individuals both exposed to the same number of blows and years of fighting, why one person develops chronic brain disorders and one doesn’t. When it comes to cumulative head trauma there are many, many things we just don’t know.”

In their initial examination fighters undergo an MRI and a series of cognitive and memory tests as well as quizzes that test for judgment and reasoning. Doctors look for signs of impulsiveness and depression that could be linked to past head trauma. These tests will be used as a baseline for annual checks and will be put together with other data collected during the study to see if there are common links between the subjects.

“We would hope it would go on forever, but we need at least four years,” Bernick said. “We hope to learn enough by then to give us some insight into what happens in real time to individuals involved in activities where they are exposed to head trauma.”

Boxing promoter Bob Arum seems somewhat optimistic about the project.

“A lot of questions people have about when is enough enough will be able to be somewhat solved by what’s being done there,” Arum said. “We’ll have a body of facts and evidence that we never had before.”