Dana White: Proper regulation saves lives

UFC president Dana White insists mixed martial arts is not only safe, but the safest sport in the world when correctly regulated.

This is the safest sport in the world when done properly, White said when asked about the unfortunate passing of death of Michael Kirkham on June 26, the second mixed martial arts death in a sanctioned event in U.S. history.

As we go out there and get this thing sanctioned in all these different states, here’s the problem, White began to explain. I need these smaller promotions to exist but here’s the deal. If you can’t afford to do the proper medicals before the fight you don’t belong in this business.

The bottom line is I don’t care what state it is, what commission, if that company doesn’t have enough money to do the proper medical tests on the fighters before and after the fight, go open a (expletive) doughnut shop, added the UFC president. Go do something else. Open a laundry mat. This isn’t the business you should be in.

That fight lasted 22 seconds. It’s not like this was some three-round war where this kid took a lot of head damage, commented White. “I’m no doctor, but I believe there was a pre-existing injury that they didn’t find in pre-fight medicals. And if you don’t have the money to do the proper medicals go get in another business. This isn’t the business for you.

The UFC has saved people’s lives, stated White. Guys have come on the show, for The Ultimate Fighter, with brain injuries and all these sorts of problems, and they’re detected. You get a CAT scan. You get an MRI. You get an EKG, a full battery of tests before you go in and compete. When that’s done you find the stuff that’s wrong.

No one has ever died in the UFC.

Whether Michael Kirkham’s fate would have been different had the pre-fight medicals been more stringent, we’ll never know. But the implications that it may have been should raise some eyebrows within the sport, or we can only hope.

Read entire article…