Fans surround the octagon, the cheers and jeers drowning out the heavy labored breaths of the fighters. Their battle represents something of a deadly dance. Swaying back and forth, moving in and out, striking and blocking. They look almost stuck in a trance, locked in a duel where even the slightest mistake could be costly. The mat is sticky, a testament to the blood and sweat spraying on to the floor and stationed by the cage door, with the best seats in the whole arena, stands Dr. Danielle Fabry, a primary care physician, hoping for a safe fight.
Recently, combat sports have seen a dramatic increase in popularity and with good reason. The uncertainty of fights combined with the hazardous nature of the sport has made its explosion into media understandable. Fighting sports run off of a teetering equilibrium: the smallest mistakes can lead to dramatic, sudden, and dangerous momentum shifts. Where the instability of the fight makes it so exciting and enthralling for the viewers, it also makes it a nightmare for the fighter’s safety.
To protect these fighters from permanent brain damage and even sometimes death. Referees, who are often former fighters themselves, can stop a fight if they feel a fighter is unfit to fight. Ring side physicians like Dr. Danielle also have the authority to stop a fight, introducing an new ethical problem for medics.
In 2019, during a highly televised UFC fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, Dr. Sethi, a standby physician, intervened and stopped the bout. Entering the fourth round, Nate Diaz had a deep gash above and below his eye; he seemed heavily concussed and had skin drooping over his eye. However, when the fight was called off, the public along with the fighters took extremely negatively towards Sethi.
In an attempt to explain his decision, Sethi responded “But how can you let a fighter who is getting injured on your watch go on?” This statement encapsulates the paradox paramedics face when overseeing fights. From a medical standpoint, each blow or strike a fighter takes to the head adds large risks to permanent brain damage in the form of CTE or a fatal blow resulting from brain bleed. Former UFC heavy weight, Tim Hauge, was knocked out in a fight and passed two days later from fatal hemorrhages. In addition, fights can lead to serious spinal cord injuries in which fighters can experience temporary or even permanent paralyzation.
The risks these fighters face force paramedics to be extremely attentive to what is happening. In a split second, a fighter could dramatically increase their risks of brain damage or even die. However, coaches and even the fighter themselves don’t want to give in and surrender. The risks of the fight paired with the harassing backlash doctors face makes for a hard ethical dilemma. However, this paradox won’t stop the battles and as long as there are eager fighters there will be more difficult situations for paramedics.
Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/health/mma-combat-sports-doctors.html
https://wayofmartialarts.com/ufc-brain-damage/#:~:text=Do%20UFC%20Fighters%20Have%20Brain%20Damage%3F,-As%20I%20mentioned&text=The%20same%20research%20found%20that,permanent%20damage%20to%20the%20brain.
Recently, combat sports have seen a dramatic increase in popularity and with good reason. The uncertainty of fights combined with the hazardous nature of the sport has made its explosion into media understandable. Fighting sports run off of a teetering equilibrium: the smallest mistakes can lead to dramatic, sudden, and dangerous momentum shifts. Where the instability of the fight makes it so exciting and enthralling for the viewers, it also makes it a nightmare for the fighter’s safety.
To protect these fighters from permanent brain damage and even sometimes death. Referees, who are often former fighters themselves, can stop a fight if they feel a fighter is unfit to fight. Ring side physicians like Dr. Danielle also have the authority to stop a fight, introducing an new ethical problem for medics.
In 2019, during a highly televised UFC fight between Jorge Masvidal and Nate Diaz, Dr. Sethi, a standby physician, intervened and stopped the bout. Entering the fourth round, Nate Diaz had a deep gash above and below his eye; he seemed heavily concussed and had skin drooping over his eye. However, when the fight was called off, the public along with the fighters took extremely negatively towards Sethi.
In an attempt to explain his decision, Sethi responded “But how can you let a fighter who is getting injured on your watch go on?” This statement encapsulates the paradox paramedics face when overseeing fights. From a medical standpoint, each blow or strike a fighter takes to the head adds large risks to permanent brain damage in the form of CTE or a fatal blow resulting from brain bleed. Former UFC heavy weight, Tim Hauge, was knocked out in a fight and passed two days later from fatal hemorrhages. In addition, fights can lead to serious spinal cord injuries in which fighters can experience temporary or even permanent paralyzation.
The risks these fighters face force paramedics to be extremely attentive to what is happening. In a split second, a fighter could dramatically increase their risks of brain damage or even die. However, coaches and even the fighter themselves don’t want to give in and surrender. The risks of the fight paired with the harassing backlash doctors face makes for a hard ethical dilemma. However, this paradox won’t stop the battles and as long as there are eager fighters there will be more difficult situations for paramedics.
Links:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/29/health/mma-combat-sports-doctors.html
https://wayofmartialarts.com/ufc-brain-damage/#:~:text=Do%20UFC%20Fighters%20Have%20Brain%20Damage%3F,-As%20I%20mentioned&text=The%20same%20research%20found%20that,permanent%20damage%20to%20the%20brain.