Death is another lesson for combat sports

[RamboLiberal]

The death of female kickboxer Adrienne Simmons in Orlando, Fla., on Sunday is likely to receive only passing mention in MMA news this week. Most of the copy will be occupied with the glut of events that begins with this weekend's free-TV UFC event and continues practically unabated through UFC 118 on Aug. 28.

Yet Simmons' story is significant -- not only for the emotional trauma her family will obviously endure, but for its meaning with regard to the perpetually frustrating issue of fighter safety.

The bodies of men (and women) are not constructed for violence. Skulls are useful for the occasional mishap or accident, but God or evolution -- or some combination of the two -- did not account for our fascination with jarring the brain dozens or hundreds of times in a prizefighting career. A few can escape with only minor neurological changes, but the majority pay the price. Sometimes the invoice comes due much later in life, when you can't find your car keys and your tongue gets thick; for others, it gets delivered in the ring. You walk in and you're carried out.

Simmons' case is rare in the sense that she might be only the second woman to die as a result of injuries suffered in a fighting sport. In 2005, Becky Zerlentes died after competing in a Golden Gloves tournament. In both cases, the women were competing as amateurs and wore headgear. This is where we begin to see how quickly things can escalate.

http://espn.go.com/extra/mma/blog/_/name/mma/id/5416666/death-another-lesson-combat-sports

A few weeks ago a male MMA died after a bout.

[provis99]

1. let's stop beating around the bush and bring back gladiator duels.

Its what the fans really want, anyways. Heck, the only reason people go to NASCAR is to see accidents in the hope of seeing some driver killed.

[Mopar151]

2. I would beg to differ with your second statement.

Motorsports in general are not "combat sports". NASCAR's top divisions are quite apt to be a huge dissapointment to those with bloodlust - they have recently engineered a whole new generation of cars, largely to prevent such a thing from ever happening.

[Mopar151]

3. I would ask why state comissions do not require an ambulance

in attendance at sanctioned bouts.
The state of VT requires us (www.hillclimb.org) to have an ambulance in attendance anytime we are in competition, most tracks are the same way. It's also SOP to require competitors to submit to an exam by the medical staff at any time, and to abide by that decision.