Found these articles, apologizes if it's already been mentioned, but I thought it was an important issue. As a physician, I hope these studies will ,eventually, help provide further information with regards to the pathophysiology, sequalae, mitigation and treatment of Traumatic Brain Injuries in the context of combat sports. I think it is also laudatory that the UFC, Bellator and other combat sport rivals are joining together to provide public support for this.
http://bostonherald.com/sports/other/boxing/2014/02/boxing_mma_meet_to_support_head_injury_research
"Two former boxers, Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Harry Reid (D-Nev.), welcomed representatives of the world's boxing and mixed martial arts organizations on Tuesday to announce support for a study to understand the effects of repeated blows to the head."
Some more good information here:
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2014/02/04/reid-mccain-join-forces-to-show-support-for-fighter-study/
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Over 400 fighters have signed up to participate in the study since it began over two and a half years ago, allowing researchers to track their speech, cognition, behavior and other health indicators to better understand the early warning signs of head trauma. The efforts mirror similar studies of NFL players underway at Boston University and other venues, but the Cleveland Clinic study is one of the few to track active fighters. The majority of those currently being tracked by Cleveland Clinic are mixed martial artists, and researchers hope to eventually sign up between 625 and 650 fighters.
Officials from the Cleveland Clinic said beyond the financial support, the promoters have helped by encouraging their fighters to take part in the study. Several fighters including Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and boxer Bernard Hopkins said the real danger to their bodies lay not only in the fights, but in the hundreds of hours of sparring the fighters use to prepare. Mr. Jones said he tries to limit his sparring to reduce the number of blows to the head he takes."