Is MMA safer than boxing?

[Fighter123]

In the wake of Joe Rogan's "It's time to retire Brendan Schaub (because I care about you)" podcast, many discussions were ignited (including here on Sherdog) about whether Rogan was right or wrong, and whether he should have talked to Schaub in private about his "concerns."

But, regardless of what you think about the Rogan-Schaub incident, the broad issue of long-term brain damage within MMA certainly remains a concern, as it does in boxing.

A recent article on MMAjunkie.com (in which columnist Ben Fowlkes and UFC fighter Danny Downes discussed the Rogan incident) touched on this MMA vs. boxing "safety" debate.

Downes made the following statement concerning the issue: "The truth is there are a lot of unknowns when it comes to MMA. One of the typical talking points (one that I parroted many times in the past) is that MMA is safer than boxing. Intuitively, it makes sense. When you look at the number of punches a boxer sustains throughout his career, it's far less than an MMA fighter. There's no eight-second knockdown rule either, so the likelihood of the even more damaging post-concussive blows is lessened. Perhaps MMA is safer than boxing, but we don't have the data to back that up. We don't even have the anecdotal evidence to support those statements."

So, what are your thoughts? Do you believe that MMA is safer than boxing? Or do you think that we still do not know, and that only time will tell?

 

[TheWolfsHowl]

I think it depends a lot on the fighter.

Some fighters can go a long career without taking too much damage, whereas every boxer is going to get hit in every fight and in sparring. Some MMA fighters don't like to strike and are good enough to generally avoid striking damage.

But in general, the typical boxer will absorb more punches, but with dampened force. MMA doesn't dampen the force. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing, honestly, because while they may get KO'd easier, is a KO really any better than getting hit 50 times without a KO?

All I really know is that concussions will fuck you up.

 

[SilvaMoney]

Safer in terms of financial security for the fighters?

 

[Tamriel Terror]

id say time will tell.





















Thread has potential to be a S**t storm

 

[machidafan99]

Unless you fight palhares

 

[theincognito]

Boxers take more head shots and taking more head shots is more dangerous than taking fewer head shots, IMO.

 

[PivotPunch]

Yeah I think it is. But MMA still is dangerous of course and there are already many fighters talking about brain damage even though it's a young sport

 

[Mavadorov]

Boxers take more head shots and taking more head shots is more dangerous than taking fewer head shots, IMO.

Right on. Came here to say this.

 

[RafailNadull]

Why does it matter whether it's safer than boxing? The question is, is it safe enough to keep it as it is or is it not.

 

[Ogata]

It depends on the fighters skillset as well as approach to fighting and training.

Some fighters like to spar like crazy and thats where they get their confidence. Other fighters have to rely on jab,footwork,distance,kicks,throws,submissions.

In conclusion, I will get shit for this but, I will say a technical boxer (Floyd)will take less damage than a technical mma fighter.(Gsp)

 

[K1MMA]

Yes. In boxing and kickboxing you're not getting Sub'd, only KO'd.

 

[TheCoward]

As you alluded to TS, we really don't know.

 

[Zorrox]

Not only do mma fighters take fewer headshots, but I strongly feel boxing gloves rattle your brain harder than mma gloves.

 

[MilesAbove]

Nope.

It all just depends how often you're struck in the dome. Some boxers spend just as much time sparring as MMA guys. So that whole "You're not getting hit in the head as much" argument is garbage.

MMA tears up the brain, just like boxing. There's no escaping the dangers of it, but these are men and women who have decided on the career. Just like a firefighter can get burned and a soldier can be blown up.... fighters can lose brain function.

 

[countswagula]

There isn't enough long term data to conclusively say either way. I would assume MMA is safer for the following reasons:

- No standing 8 count, as mentioned in the OP
- Smaller gloves often mean fighters absorb less cumulative damage before getting knocked out(I may be full of shit on this one, just an assumption)
- Perhaps most importantly: the format of the sport. Many boxers will go through literally dozens or even hundreds of amateur fights before becoming professional. MMA fighters often come from a grappling background which includes practically no head trauma compared to boxing, and won't start consistently getting hit in the head until around the time they start their pro career.

 

[ironfist05]

depends on what you're looking at

in terms of brain damage, boxing wins hands down

then again, joint damage (wrestling) and damage provided to the lower body (leg kicks etc...) are not something you'll see so much in boxing

 

[Flokk]

Not sure if there has been enough objective analysis to say one way or another in terms of which is worse for the brain. This has to be in part due to the fact that MMA is still relatively young. But you look at guys like Chuck and Big Nog and it's a safe bet that 15-20 years from now they're going to be showing all the signs.

In general, it's probably safe to say that working as a punching bag (or as a crash dummy in the NFL) is ultimately very bad for the health of your brain. I.e., if you want a nice long life with your faculties intact, avoid working on the front line of these professions.

 

[countswagula]

depends on what you're looking at

in terms of brain damage, boxing wins hands down

then again, joint damage (wrestling) and damage provided to the lower body (leg kicks etc...) are not something you'll see so much in boxing

Having a shot body sucks, but it's nowhere near as debilitating over the years.

 

[theincognito]

It depends on the fighters skillset as well as approach to fighting and training.

Some fighters like to spar like crazy and thats where they get their confidence. Other fighters have to rely on jab,footwork,distance,kicks,throws,submissions.

In conclusion, I will get shit for this but, I will say a technical boxer (Floyd)will take less damage than a technical mma fighter.(Gsp)

Not at all, he still takes probably 100 punches a fight.

 

[Jas Hanz]

Boxing, more volume, MMA, much more severity. I think it equals out in the end.