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Originally Posted by Inkblob I know this is an old thread, but I wonder what long term effects there will be on guys that have taken a lot of punishment or suffered really violent knock outs. Is there any data on long term effects other than that in boxing? |
As far as I know, there isn't a lot of knowledge about the long-term health effects of the sport. The history of the modern sport is traced back to just 1993 so there is a small sample. Usually, older fighters won't be active (then you have your exceptions of men like Randy Couture, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman).
I do know there was a John Hopkins University study in 2006 that found that the overall injury rate is "similar between MMA and other combat sports including boxing." But it is widely accepted that short-term, boxers endure more punishment to the brain.
I'll keep checking to see if any long-term studies pop up.