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<h3><a href="/go=news.detail&gid=449991" target="_blank">
Study finds greater risk in boxing than MMA
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<p>Neurologist Charles Bernick has led the Professional Fighter Brain Health Study for some four years, and have linked repeated head contact with a smaller brain structure volume and slower processing speed.</p>
Bernick said that at this point, boxers appear to be at greater risk of cognitive problems and brain shrinkage than mixed martial arts fighters.
The reason for that, Bernick said, isn't so simple to determine at this stage.
"Boxers come out worse," he said. "We're seeing more shrinkage in boxers in these particular structures we're looking at on the MRI. What does that mean? Does it mean that boxers are sustaining more trauma or are boxers just different in general? A lot more MMA guys are college educated. They come, in a lot of cases, from different socio-economic backgrounds than the boxers.
"We can't pinpoint the cause for this, though just off the top of your head you'd say, 'Yeah, it's because [boxers] get hit in the head more.' If you look at these statistics services like CompuBox and [CompuStrike], it's clear that boxers are being hit more than MMA guys in the same weight classes. So is the answer simply, 'They get hit more?' Whether that's the only factor, though, I don't know. But yes, boxers come out worse [than MMA fighters]."
Although this was already assumed by almost everyone, it is still an important finding as it helps prove that the conventional wisdom was correct (which is not always the case). Like most large, long term studies, the initial findings seem fairly obvious; but with more time the harder to detect findings that will be new information will start to come out
The Sultan - The standing 8 count plus the focus repeated blows to the head are responsible for this
Yeah crazy that in MMA if you get tko'd you can't even spar again till the AC clears you months after, in boxing you can carry on fighting 5 seconds later.
The Sultan - The standing 8 count plus the focus repeated blows to the head are responsible for this
Yeah crazy that in MMA if you get tko'd you can't even spar again till the AC clears you months after, in boxing you can carry on fighting 5 seconds later.
everybody in MMA just ignores that shit and is back sparring a week later, trust me
The Sultan - The standing 8 count plus the focus repeated blows to the head are responsible for this
Indeed. It's not rocket surgery.
All a boxer does is train punching and getting punched, mostly to the head. All they do in a fight, is punch and get punched, mostly to the head. They get KO'd, and the fight is paused so they can continue getting punched in the head.
MMA fighter splits his time, only a fraction of it involves taking blows to the head. And the strikes are split above and bellow the waste.
A boxer over a single 12 round fight can take more punches to the head than many MMA fighters will suffer over the course of their entire career.
Yes this study aligns with common sense but the raw data is important. The findings are in fact that both MMA Fighters and Boxers have reduced brain volume related to the number of years they compete and the number of bouts they have (The Fight Exposure Score or "FES" Score).
The study found that a bigger FES score was associated with lower brain volumes, particularly the thalamus and caudate. In addition, speed of processing decreased with decreased thalamic volumes and with increasing fight exposure. This insight nto the specific nature of brain trauma associated with combat sports is important information for all involved in the sports.</p
The Sultan - The standing 8 count plus the focus repeated blows to the head are responsible for this
Yep. What would be a TKO in MMA is only a small break in boxing. Less controversial stoppages but far more brain damage.
Yet in MMA if you get knocked down you get pounced on and get repetedly punched in the head until your defenseless...
Do you really want to compare that to the multiple standing counts in boxing? I didn't say it was perfect but you're out of your mind if you think that remotely compares to what boxers go through.
