Head trauma in MMA is a bitter pill to swallow.
It’s a topics that many fans wish to avoid when discussing combat sports. It’s easy to understand why. Who wants to talk about pesky things like brain damage anyway? People want to ignore the darker parts of the sport not because they don’t care about fighter safety or that they believe these combatants reap what they sow. It’s much more reasonable, much more human than that. Fear. Audiences are afraid that if they embrace the fact that head trauma is a major issue in any contact sport then they’ll have to ask themselves the question of why they take such enjoyment in watching men and women do battle in a ring or cage. The truth is that it’s fine to be afraid, to learn the consequences of what these fighters put themselves through and be put off by it. The unfortunate thing about that thought process is that it leaves room to put the responsibility in someone else’s hands. “I didn’t tell him to get in there,” or “They knew risks when they got into this sport,” are irresponsible thinking. These fighter not only do it for themselves they do it to entertain the masses, to show and prove their great skill. We as an audience must take a share of the blame when it comes to occurrences like head trauma. The recent revelation that UFC Light Heavyweight Tom Lawlor may be experiencing some early signs of brain damage should be an eye opener for anyone looking to get into this sport. The Tom Lawlor quote below courtesy of Bloody Elbow sets up a disturbing picture.
“There’s some stuff that goes on with me that I’m not really sure what the deal is, but it makes me think twice about fighting after having some sort of head trauma. Obviously, I’m a huge pro-wrestling fan, and CTE and those sort of things are very prevalent not only in that industry, but in other professional sports like football. When you suffer a concussion, it’s easy to deal with on a daily basis for the most part, but the stuff down the road is what’s really worrisome. That’s just kinda been in the back of my head, so right now, I’m just not looking to fight in the immediate future.”
We can only hope Tom Lawlor can overcome this unfortunate turn of events and remain healthy. What’s your views on head trauma in combat sports? Follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Also, be sure to share, like, and comment to show your support.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
