The harsh realities of MMA training were once again front and center this week when UFC.com #3 ranked lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov was forced to pull out of his third straight bout due to injuries suffered in training. The most recent injury, a broken rib, will now push the Dagestani born fighter out of action for over two years and has left one of MMA’s, arguably, greatest young talents tragically considering retirement at 27.
If the physical wear of stepping inside of an eight sided steel cage and laying your physical and mental well-being on the line isn’t enough, Nurmagomedov joins a growing list of great talents who have seen years taken off of their fighting careers, not through gruelling fights, but poor training.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, and promising lightweight T.J. Grant, were both at the peak of their careers prior to injuries suffered in training. Cruz, stripped of his belt due to inactivity, has fought only once since October 2011, and Grant, whom riding the momentum of a five fight win streak, was set to challenge for the lightweight title, has yet to return to fighting (despite recently claiming he has been cleared to fight again) as the result of a concussion suffered during training in 2013.
Of course, these are two of the better documented cases of the slew of fighters who have been stricken by the injury bug; however, looking closer at the bulk of injuries in recent years, one can only be left dumbfounded as to what has taken so long for the issue to be addressed.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
Dating back to 2012, the UFC has encountered at least 100 injuries per year leading to altered or cancelled fight cards. With seven events still remaining on the UFC calendar, it seems 2015 will not see much improvement having seen 72 injuries incurred by fighters (not including illness) across 33 events hitherto, that have led to altered or cancelled fights, lending to an average of 2.3 fighters injured per event.
These numbers warrant concern from both the organization itself as well as the training facilities who are responsible for the well-being of their athletes.Fighters are students, and students listen to their instructors. It is inevitable that injuries will forever be a part of not only MMA, but sports period, but if an education process isn’t taken on and initiated by not only MMA gyms, and the UFC itself, but the sport as a whole, fighters will continue to suffer the unfortunate fate of shortened careers.
What Can Be Done
Lawrence Epstein, UFC’s Chief Operating Officer, announced earlier this year plans to build a new state of the art training facility in Las Vegas, tentatively called the “UFC Lab” specifically dedicated to improving training practices for athletes, while also providing on site physical rehabilitation. Epstein told media at a UC press conference earlier this year:
“We’re building what we call, tentatively, the ‘UFC Lab’. That facility is going to be a state-of-the-art facility where all of our athletes can come work out, using cutting-edge training techniques, and, of course, equipment, but also, if there is an injury, come and rehab at our facility.”
Additionally, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) announced earlier this month they will be holding a weight cutting seminar of which both Bellator and UFC are confirmed to be sending representatives.
Though neither will rid the sport of injuries overnight, both are positive signs that fighter health is an issue on the minds of the larger organizations. For the sake of the fighters it’s time for the sport of mixed martial arts to admit that there’s a problem.
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