Which Is More Dangerous: Boxing Or MMA?

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There is a common belief that Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) is a barbaric sport. The biggest argument used to condemn it is the position that the fights are excessively violent and dangerous. It has been labeled as human cock-fighting by politicians, even as images of scarred and bloodied fighters are used in marketing campaigns by MMA itself.

On the other hand, boxing is considered by many of the same people to be an American institution, while its detractors believe that in the boxing ring, fighters are allowed to take drubbings, sometimes round after round, for upwards of 10 to 12 rounds. There is also a widespread belief that those repetitive concussions increase the likelihood of brain damage among fighters.

These arguments both lead to the question: Which sport is safer?



Boxing injuries

Both the government and boxing's controlling bodies have made attempts to put into place a number of regulations, such as the Muhammed Ali Boxing Reform Act, aimed at minimizing major injuries in the sport. However, head injuries are still a significant concern in boxing. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons says that 90% of boxers will have sustained a brain injury by the end of their careers. Couple that with eye injuries and dementia, which are both effects of being hit in the head, and you can begin to understand why boxing is a dangerous sport.

The Nevada Athletic Commission did a five-year study on injuries in boxing and concluded that the amount of padding used in boxing gloves is directly correlated to the injury rate in boxing. The study warned that more padding in gloves meant punches were easier to absorb, which means a fighter could be hit more times. The cumulative effect of constant hitting over the course of a fight can have a traumatic effect on a fighter’s head. In a typical boxing match, most punches are thrown at the head, since it's difficult to achieve a knockout through blows to the body.

According to a study undertaken by the British Board of Sports Medicine from 2002 to 2007, the standing eight count is the primary cause of the most serious injuries in boxing because it gives fighters the option to worsen injuries they have already sustained. Continuing to box after receiving a concussion leads fighters to stutter, stumble and end up suffering what doctors call pugilistic dementia. Time and time again, boxers drop to the mat with such force that hitting the deck is what wakes them up. Being neurologically short-circuited or concussed once is sufficient reason to stop a fight right then and there. Instead, more often than not, boxers are given the protection count and if they are capable of fighting, the match resumes.

From 1998 to 2006, there were 70 recorded deaths caused by injuries related to the sport of boxing.



But how does MMA match up? Read on to find out...