The sport of mixed martial arts might just be the most beautiful sport on Earth. Witnessing two elite fighters showcasing martial arts’ finest techniques truly is a treat. But MMA, as beautiful as it is, is also the most dangerous sport in the world.
In a sport where the goal is to basically hurt your opponent as much as possible, it’s no wonder tragedies happen. And sometimes these tragedies come from the side effects of MMA training.
Have a look at the 5 most dangerous things about MMA. Let’s not forget about what fighters are willing to go through in order to bring us entertainment.
5) Injuries during training
MMA training might just be the most demanding physical endeavor in the world, and is insanely rough on the body. Actually, an overwhelming majority of fighters are not 100% when they enter the cage, and suffer from an injury. Some of these injuries are minor, but a lot of them involve broken ribs, torn ACLs or worse. MMA fans are known to complain when a fighter is pulled from a card due to an injury, but we shouldn’t forget about the toughness of MMA training.
4) Takedowns gone wrong
As awesome as they look, takedowns can be (really) dangerous. Particularly if a fighter goes for a double leg takedown whilst being caught in a guillotine hold. This particular scenario has led to a few fighters ending up paralyzed, and even caused the death of Franco Lescano, a 30 year-old Argentinian fighter who went for a double leg, got caught in a guillotine, and landed on his neck. Lescano left the gym quadriplegic and died 21 days later.
3) Dangerous holds
Holds are obviously dangerous. When someone is trying to rip your arm (or your leg) off, it could mean trouble. The referees are supposed to intervene before damage is done, but sometimes it’s too late. The heel hook hold is particularly dangerous because the pain actually comes AFTER the damage has been done. Breaks are common in MMA. They look gruesome, and can greatly affect a fighter’s career.
Warning: Graphic content in video below
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2) Weight cutting
Weight cutting is the practice of losing weight prior to a fight, in order to make weight on weigh- ins day. Then, one is supposed to add as much weight as possible for the day of the fight, thus having a weight advantage. As appealing as it sounds, weight cutting remains an extreme practice. Many, many fighters dehydrate themselves prior to a fight, and end up displaying awful performances. Such extreme practice may even lead to weight. Yang Jian Bing, a ONE Championship fighter, died in 2015 following complications sustained because of a harsh weight cut.
1) Concussions
Getting punched or kicked in the face is terrible for brain health. You might be shaking your head at the Captain Obvious-esque nature of my statement, but it’s important to remind ourselves that, yes, getting pounded in the face by a world-class MMA fighter is one of the worst things you could possibly do health-wise.
Brain trauma is a very serious concern, and often leads to terrible ailments. Sometimes, it even leads to death. That happens less frequently than in boxing, but it does happen. MMA organizations and athletic commissions take the issue of concussions very seriously, and work every day in order to improve the safety of the fighters who compete in MMA.
