Are Mixed Martial Arts Dangerous?

Author: James Liu

There has been a lot of bad press surrounding MMA fights and the
UFC. Many critics say that mixed martial arts are barbaric and
gruesome and are nothing more than amateur street brawls. The
beginning of the MMA movement in America and the inception of
the UFC did not help matters at firs as they promoted the sport
as the most violent combat sport available and only helped to
further the negative stereotype. Originally, MMA fights were
banned in many states but after stricter rules were put in place
and new UFC owners worked to change the barbaric stereotype, the
MMA movement has gained huge popularity.

But are mixed martial arts dangerous, at least any more
dangerous that other combat or contact sports? Sure, in the
beginning the sport itself claimed to be extremely violent but
things have changed since then. To really answer the question of
the danger in MMA fights, one would have to understand the rules
of the UFC and compare it to other sports.

Mixed martial arts is just that, a mixture of many different
fighting styles from boxing to wrestling, to jui jitsu, most of
which have ancient roots and were at some time a part of the
Olympic Games. Critics against the UFC and MMA fights say that
it teaches kids that fighting is ok or honorable. Some of these
same critics agree that all combat sports are bad and other
single out MMA. The truth is, when compared to boxing MMA is not
as bad. The object ion boxing is to beat your opponent until
they are unconscious or so badly injured that they can no longer
get up. In MMA a victory option is knockout, but fighters can
also win by submission or referee stoppage, two options not
available in boxing. Instead of going at it until irreparable
damage is done, many MMA fights end when a fighter submits or
the referee stops the fight before serious injuries occur. This
seems like a much safer option.

Critics that say that MMA is barbaric and dangerous must not
realized that there have been no deaths in sanctioned MMA fights
ever. No MMA fighter has ever died during a fight; the same
cannot be said about boxing a sport that has lost hundreds of
fighters. Injuries are also infrequent, as well as brain damage
because submission and referee stoppage is a victory option. The
same is not true in boxing, many fighters end up with long term
problems, brain damage, or have their careers halted abruptly
because of injuries. Even non combat sports like football and
hockey see more serious injuries than MMA fights such as broken
and fractured bones, spinal damage, and concussions. While MMA
fighters do receive injuries, they are not usually severe.

Critics that initially called the game barbaric and dangerous
spoke of the lack of rules and regulations. MMA fights have over
gone rule changes and additions, and although still allow for a
great variety of fighting techniques, the fighters well being is
considered. No matter how many people think that MMA fights are
dangerous, the sport will continue to grow and attract fans.

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