Posted on 06/29/2010 12:18:27 AM PDT by Route797
Officials said they expect an autopsy will confirm preliminary findings that a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter who made his professional debut at the "Confrontation at the Convocation" Saturday at the USC Aiken Convocation Center was pronounced dead Monday from blows he received during the weekend bout.
Thirty-year-old Michael Kirkham of Gaffney was struck five or six times during the first round. The father of five children received several blows to the head, which caused the referee to stop the bout, said Aiken County Coroner Tim Carlton.
(Excerpt) Read more at aikenstandard.com ...
What’s next dude, competitive Russian Roulette? When the object of the fight is to physically disable your opponent that means in some matches ‘contestants’ are going to die.
LOL
You don’t know what you are talking about. Gloves are placed to protect the hands not the head. As far as safety , mixed martial arts is safer than football which results in more deaths. If you get knocked out in footbal, you go to the sideline get some smelling salts or shake your head and back you go. In boxing or MMA you get a 60 day suspension and are not allowed to compete till cleared by a neurologist. The suspension is world wide at the professional level and may go up to 180 days depending on the jurisdiction and organization involved.
It isn’t because they love the fighters, it’s becaus it’s bad for business.
Jeese, nobody reads anymore. I was referring to long term brain damage on these guys. The business is fairly young and the future effects on these guys is gonna be devastating.
Their medical care and precautions are probably rigged, just like the days of “the needle” for pro footballers. Only time will tell.
You didn’t need a crystal ball to see this coming.
In my karate class we would spar full speed, but would come within millimeters of landing our techniques. We were always very careful - if you missed (other than the partner walking into the technique),sensai would demonstrate the next technique on you - and the message was always delivered. While he never seriously hurt anyone, I saw plenty of people on the floor - and they were always very careful the next sparring round.
MMA Ping!
That's right. As a side note, Sugar Ray Leonard's team always demanded that his fights use the lighter gloves. It reduced the impact on his head thus lessening the chance of him being knocked out and gave him an advantage because of his fast hand speed.........
Good post.
We have testicles and enjoy masculine things.
Jeez. I’ve seen some MMA hate here, but this thread is out of control
What’s better, taking 150 powershots to the head in a Boxing match or taking 5 in an MMA match.
Inform yourselves people, facts are your friends. More people have died in the last 5 years in Baseball than in Sanctioned Mixed Martial Arts competition
You are a friggin Pope?
What a foolish and dimwit sense of human nature!
MMA competitions will become more violent, and more will die. Why? The risk factor sells. The whole purpose of the fight is to physically disable your opponent. Killer hits, compressions and holds are part of the standard technique. A killing move in MMA just a extension of regular techniques.
In football and baseball, the sports become safer. The purpose is not to hurt, to disable you opponent — the purpose in football is to carry the ball across the plane of goal line, or kick it through the uprights. The purpose of baseball is to score runs. In MMA the fundamental intrinsic purpose is to hurt and injure to the point of disabling.
Boxing isn’t as bad, because in boxing hits — and not damage or pain — get scored. The knock-outs are a problem, as are the head accelerations and organ damage — but still, a hit does not have to be damaging to be a score.
Plus MMA does not teach how to fight! First rule of a real fight: Win easily.
The first rule of real fights is not to fight a opponent who can, will or may be able to fight back. Simple.
By inflicting brain damage. Boxing and MMA are the only sports with a primary objective of inflicting potentially fatal brain injury.
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Research and developement for law enforcement, armed forces, security etc. to see what techniques work and what doesn't work.
Much more interesting than ballet.
Very well said. I have watched a few matches and on occasion have watched some who have their opponent right where they want him, actually use restraint, and still win the match.
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Nonsense.
Just last Saturday night there was one of the biggest upsets in MMA history where Fabricio Werdum submitted Fedor Emeliananko via armbar.
The primary objective was to win by superior technique and no was was injured in the process.
It was a fantastic contest between true artists.
Bro, I stopped trying to educate people about MMA a while ago. It’s hard to fight ignorance.
I say we just leave the weak and ignorant to their own feeble misunderstandings and enjoy our sport for what it is.
I’ll just keep training and enjoying it.
I agree with you Rammer on trying to educate people (it is futile). Unfortunately, the uneducated folks are the ones who might ultimately get MMA banned. So I admire downwdims for trying.
I definitely think boxing is more dangerous because you are pretty consistently striking an opponent in the head over a significant length of time. Still, I wouldn’t advocate the banning of boxing either. MMA is like boxing in the sense that people are convinced that the competitors are really trying to seriously hurt or kill one another. It is usually the complete opposite. I think you “get” certain sports or you don’t.
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