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The UFC announced that it has contributed $1 million towards brain research with the Cleveland Clinic.
According to ESPN.com, the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas has been working on the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study for 10 years. The UFC has also donated $2 million over three rounds of support.
Throughout the UFC helping out the clinic, over 100 UFC fighters have taken part in the study. UFC COO Lawrence Epstein said the hope is to take the data in this study and bring it to athletic commissions in an effort to help inform prospective new policy. If a fighter is at a higher risk of CTE, perhaps that is something the commissions could consider adding to their requirements for licensing athletes.
“We want this type of analysis to be a key part of the regulation of combat sports,” Epstein said. … “This is not about diagnosing injury. This is about preventing injury from taking place.”
Bellator, Golden Boy boxing and Top Rank boxing have also donated to the Lou Ruvo Center study.
“I think the whole combat industry has really rallied, unlike other sports, to help us understand this issue of long-term head impacts,” Dr. Charles Bernick said.