Tag: head trauma

Cyborg Weighs Impact Of CTE After Slew Of Domestic Violent Arrests

Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is drawing attention to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and its effects on fighters. CTE is a progressive brain condition created by repeated head traumas that cause concussions. Some of the primary symptoms associated with the condition include frequent mood swings, depression, and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated, or agitated. Recently, more […]

Continue Reading Cyborg Weighs Impact Of CTE After Slew Of Domestic Violent Arrests at MMA News.

Bellator featherweight champion Cris Cyborg is drawing attention to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) and its effects on fighters.

CTE is a progressive brain condition created by repeated head traumas that cause concussions. Some of the primary symptoms associated with the condition include frequent mood swings, depression, and feeling increasingly anxious, frustrated, or agitated.

Recently, more and more fighters are finding themselves in trouble with the law. The thrill and agony of being a fighter are met with the highest highs and the lowest lows. As a 26-fight veteran, there is little that Cyborg hasn’t seen in the depths of competition.

Shortly after the arrest of Chuck Liddell, Cyborg took to social media to spread awareness about CTE. The Bellator champion is worried about what CTE can do to fighters’ personalities, and of course, their subsequent actions.

“One of the first signs of widespread CTE in the NFL came when close family members started to notice violent changes in their loved ones personalities. We are still new to the sport of MMA and just now discovering the lasting effects of competition.” Cyborg posted.

Former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones found himself arrested for alleged battery domestic violence just last month. The list continues to grow, as Luis Peña was slapped with his second arrest of the year over the weekend for domestic violence and battery. And yesterday, Chuck Liddell was also arrested for domestic violence.

Head trauma and CTE remain some of the most difficult problems to contend with in MMA and contact sports. With a growing number of arrests popping up in MMA, perhaps it is only a matter of time before the UFC takes official action in helping prevent these serious ongoing health issues.

Continue Reading Cyborg Weighs Impact Of CTE After Slew Of Domestic Violent Arrests at MMA News.

MMA Fighter Justin Thornton Dies One Month After Being KOd At BKFC 20

A veteran MMA fighter known as Justin Thornton has unfortunately passed away at 38, one month removed from losing a bare knuckle boxing match by knockout. At BKFC 20 on Aug. 20 in Mississippi, Thornton was matched with Dillon Cleckler but was knocked unconscious in nineteen seconds. The BKFC 20 defeat marked Thornton’s six loss […]

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Justin Thornton Dies One Month After Being KOd At BKFC 20 at MMA News.

A veteran MMA fighter known as Justin Thornton has unfortunately passed away at 38, one month removed from losing a bare knuckle boxing match by knockout.

At BKFC 20 on Aug. 20 in Mississippi, Thornton was matched with Dillon Cleckler but was knocked unconscious in nineteen seconds. The BKFC 20 defeat marked Thornton’s six loss in a row, all of which came by knockout or submission. Following the knockout, Thornton was laid out on the canvas for several minutes after the finishing blow.

Nearly a month later, on Sept. 23, a post was made on Thornton’s Facebook which indicated that the fighter was paralyzed, required assistance breathing, and also suffered an infection in his lungs and spinal cord. Amber, his long-time partner, said even in his last moments, he was cracking jokes and smiling.

On Tuesday, the founder of BKFC, David Feldman released a statement to MMA Fighting about the sudden death of Justin Thornton.

“This morning we were very saddened to be notified of the passing of one of our fighters, Justin Thornton, who competed at BKFC 20 on August 20, 2021,” Feldman said. “We join the rest of the combat sports community in sending our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.”

With the death of yet another MMA fighter, it appears head trauma continues to disrupt the momentum of combat sports. Less than three weeks ago, we sadly reported that a Brazilian MMA fighter named Lucas Gabriel Peres passed due to similar head trauma.

As of this writing, medical officials are unaware as to why his health declined so rapidly in the last few weeks. With head trauma continuing to take lives, many are wondering when MMA organizations will take proactive measures and prioritize fighter safety. While the cause of death has not been publicly confirmed, if any pertinent details emerge about the death of Justin Thornton, MMANews.com will keep you on the beat.

Continue Reading MMA Fighter Justin Thornton Dies One Month After Being KOd At BKFC 20 at MMA News.

Archives: Brazilian Amateur MMA Fighter Dies From Head Injury (2021)

On this day one year ago, we covered the tragic death of Lucas Gabriel Peres. Sadly, there have been multiple similar stories this year in addition to the article published on this day last year. In March, MMA fighter Christian Lubenga passed away just…

On this day one year ago, we covered the tragic death of Lucas Gabriel Peres. Sadly, there have been multiple similar stories this year in addition to the article published on this day last year. In March, MMA fighter Christian Lubenga passed away just two days after his debut. And in a story published last…

Continue Reading Archives: Brazilian Amateur MMA Fighter Dies From Head Injury (2021) at MMA News.

The Moral Weight of Being an MMA Fan


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Watching MMA comes at a cost. Not $60 for a PPV. Not $10 every month for Fight Pass. Not even the hours you spend watching low-level fighters on prelims learn their craft so you can watch the main card. No, being a fan of this sport comes at a human cost. Real people are putting their permanent health on the line for…money? A pittance? For our entertainment? For the tired notion of glory?

Each fighter has their own motivation for stepping into the cage, but most fans generally watch MMA for the entertainment value; if something about MMA didn’t entertain or excite them, they wouldn’t watch.

And how can MMA fans be blamed? The kernel of Dana White‘s blowhard persuasions about fighting being “in our blood” is true. The highest level of MMA transcends “sport” as we’re used to it. There are no overweight outfielders scratching their balls between innings. There are no fines for wearing your socks the wrong height or for excessive celebration. MMA, at its best, is a phantasmagoric display of violence juxtaposed with art. It’s raw. It’s visceral. It’s a grotesque, screeching cacophony of carnage that unfolds into a single, unparalleled and strangely soothing melody. There is nothing on earth like (good) MMA. Nothing.

This is why Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva was so spectacular. As MMAFighting’s Chuck Mindenhall noted, UFC Fight Night 40′s main event reminded us why we watch MMA in a time when lackluster card after lackluster card had us questioning our fandom.

But Sunday mornings are always sober; the high has worn off. The consequences of combat are the violence junkie’s hangover.


(Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Watching MMA comes at a cost. Not $60 for a PPV. Not $10 every month for Fight Pass. Not even the hours you spend watching low-level fighters on prelims learn their craft so you can watch the main card. No, being a fan of this sport comes at a human cost. Real people are putting their permanent health on the line for…money? A pittance? For our entertainment? For the tired notion of glory?

Each fighter has their own motivation for stepping into the cage, but most fans generally watch MMA for the entertainment value; if something about MMA didn’t entertain or excite them, they wouldn’t watch.

And how can MMA fans be blamed? The kernel of Dana White‘s blowhard persuasions about fighting being “in our blood” is true. The highest level of MMA transcends “sport” as we’re used to it. There are no overweight outfielders scratching their balls between innings. There are no fines for wearing your socks the wrong height or for excessive celebration. MMA, at its best, is a phantasmagoric display of violence juxtaposed with art. It’s raw. It’s visceral. It’s a grotesque, screeching cacophony of carnage that unfolds into a single, unparalleled and strangely soothing melody. There is nothing on earth like (good) MMA. Nothing.

This is why Matt Brown vs. Erick Silva was so spectacular. As MMAFighting’s Chuck Mindenhall noted, UFC Fight Night 40′s main event reminded us why we watch MMA at a time when lackluster card after lackluster card had us questioning our fandom.

But Sunday mornings are always sober; the high has worn off. The consequences of combat are the violence junkie’s hangover. The realities of what transpired in the cage are stark and unflinching.


(via Twitter)

That’s Erick Silva immediately after the fight was stopped. He’s beaten, bloody, and broken to the point where he was removed on a stretcher. We cheered while Matt Brown was turning Silva into a concussed, sanguine mass. The process enthralled us, and I’m just as guilty. I was among the thousands screaming “HOLY SHIT” every time Silva managed to weather one of Brown’s combinations. But we shouldn’t feel guilty for enjoying it. After all, Erick Silva walked away with “a clean bill of health.” So we can go back to writing “JUST BLEED” on our chests remorse-free, right?

There’s no such thing as a clean bill of health in MMA, especially after a fight like that. Erick Silva took a beating, but he was OK or at least as OK as a person can be under the circumstances. But fighters aren’t always OK afterwards. MMA is dangerous. MMA can be lethal. It’s easy for us to shrug off MMA’s darkest days. “The fights were either unsanctioned or shouldn’t have happened to begin with; Something like this could never happen in the UFC,” we tell ourselves, always finding an excuse that lets us believe MMA is safe and carries no grave risks. But fighters don’t spring back to health once the TV is turned off. One day a fighter in a big organization might not be OK afterwards. How will we justify watching this sport then?

In an age when athletes are shooting themselves in the chest to preserve their battered brains for study, we have to ask ourselves what combat sports (and even contact sports in general) are worth. If Brown vs. Silva was a reminder as to why we watch this sport, perhaps it should also serve as a reminder as to why we shouldn’t.

Why Frank Mir vs. Alistair Overeem Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Happen

(The Mir-Overeem preview segment from ‘Countdown to UFC 169’. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

By Adam Ackerman

This weekend’s UFC 169 card looks to be an entertaining night for MMA fans, featuring Renan Barao defending his now-official bantamweight championship against Urijah Faber, and a chance to (possibly) see Jose Aldo get a decent stand-up test against Ricardo Lamas. It is the next match up — Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem — that makes me cringe.

Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.

Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.


(The Mir-Overeem preview segment from ‘Countdown to UFC 169′. Props: YouTube.com/UFC)

By Adam Ackerman

This weekend’s UFC 169 card looks to be an entertaining night for MMA fans, featuring Renan Barao defending his now-official bantamweight championship against Urijah Faber, and a chance to (possibly) see Jose Aldo get a decent stand-up test against Ricardo Lamas. It is the next match up — Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem — that makes me cringe.

Why do I cringe? Because I fear what the future holds for both of these men. Mir is coming off of three losses, including two by violent TKOs. Overeem is in a similar boat, having been put to sleep in his last two fights. When you look further back, even more red flags can be found. Out of the eight losses that appear on Frank Mir’s MMA record, seven have been by some form of knockout. It gets even worse for Alistair, who has lost by KO or TKO 11 times between his MMA and kickboxing careers.

Based on what we now know about head trauma in MMA, it’s safe to assume that both fighters have suffered at least some level of brain injury, which means they could be in for an incredibly wide array of consequences. Depending on the area of trauma and severity, either fighter could suffer cognitive, physiological, emotional, psychological, and behavioral changes. Basic physical functions like hand-eye coordination can also be affected, making those devastating strikes even harder to avoid. And the damage does not end there.

Traumatic Brain Injuries have also been linked to a disruption in the ability to create normal levels of hormones like testosterone, and growth hormone. In some cases TBI patients are treated with hormone replacement therapy, and experience positive results. Perhaps this is a factor in both Mir and Overeem having a therapeutic exemption for TRT.

If this were the reason for Mir and Overeem’s hormonal issues — which hasn’t been verified, but is certainly possible — should either of these men be fighting, let alone each other? I am not a professional fighter nor a doctor, but it doesn’t take an expert to understand that if your brain is unable to produce the proper amount of chemicals for you to function normally, due to past damage, you should not be taking part in the same activity that caused the trauma in the first place.

So when do you draw the line, and how many knockout losses is too many? There’s no definite answer, and since every athlete is different, any hard-and-fast rule would seem arbitrary. Should athletic commissions give closer attention and testing to a combatant who has been knocked out five times? If knockouts persist, perhaps a long-term suspension should be handed out. It can’t be safe to keep competing as a fighter after you’ve had your lights turned off ten times — and yet Alistair Overeem is appearing on a UFC pay-per-view this weekend carrying that alarming history.

Certainly someone like Overeem, who suffered his second knockout loss in six months when he was KO’d by Travis Browne in August, would benefit from a long-term suspension. Frank Mir, whose brain had just over a year of rest between his TKO losses to Josh Barnett and Junior Dos Santos, seems to be cutting it close as well.

Brain injuries are not fully understood, but we know that they do not heal like a broken bone, or a torn muscle. Such injuries can take several months or years to heal, in some cases they never do, and in the case of some 50,000 people, they result in death. I just don’t want to see either of these men end up like Muhammad Ali, Freddie Roach, countless NFL players, or Chris Benoit.

In the end, two men who have been knocked out a combined 18 times will attempt to devastatingly punch, kick, knee and elbow each other in the head until the other can no longer take it — two men so unhealthy that they need TRT to function. Will I watch? Sure, with the hope that athletic commissions will begin looking more closely at the effects of brain trauma, and that neurological science continues to reveal how much head trauma is too much.