FanPost edited and promoted by MMAmania.com.
Every single day, athletes around the world risk injury in doing what they love, both by competing and training. Football players face injuries every single time they put the pads on and although the sport is full contact, practice tends to lack the physicality of a game, which in mixed martial arts (MMA), is often not the case.
In a sport where the use of many fighting disciplines is the object of the sport and thus the path to victory, it would only make sense that injuries occur. When thinking about what fighters go through in the course of a fight, it is overwhelming. Whether being worn down by an opponent when on the bottom of a ground war, attempting to bring a fighter down, or simply standing and banging, every fighter is put through a physically demanding test like no other.
With such physicality being the nature of the sport, it only lines up that training for it is just as tough.
The strength and conditioning that must be attained in a fighter's practice is utterly exhausting. I myself am an athlete and have participated in MMA and boxing workouts. There comes a point where you are so worn down and drained, that mental toughness is the only thing that is keeping you going, and that is the ultimate goal of such testing workouts.
Fights are the paramount test of mental toughness, and training simply mimicks that.
In addition to the unprecedented workouts, a fighter must also work on all aspects of mixed martial arts. Whether wrestling, Jiu-Jitsu, Boxing, Judo, Muay Thai or any other discipline, there comes full speed practice which leaves a gaping hole for injuries. Injuries can come from rolling on the mat to work on wrestling, often in a shared gym space (just ask Rashad Evans).
Sparring sessions can escalate, and suddenly it is no longer 50-percent speed as natural instinct and adrenaline kicks in. So many variables can lead to injury at any moment.
After all, it is a fight.
As a fan it frustrates me to see so many professionals forced out of competition due to injuries sustained in training like in the most recent news of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and previously John Fitch and B.J. Penn. But as an athlete, it is difficult to even question these fighters and the fact that they are getting hurt could possibly mean they were not careful in training, but most often is a result of hard work in preparation for a fight.
Fighting hurts people, there is no avoiding it and it is difficult to comprehend because some of these fighters appear to be superhuman. Whether it be minor cuts and bruises, or bone breaks, muscle tears, and even concussions, these athletes will sometimes get hurt, and it is only up to them to have the best possible control on their health.
The rest is out of their hands.
Zuffa recently unveiled its new health plan for fighters which includes health care coverage for injuries suffered in training as well as the fights. The new health care policy has taken a big step in backing up every one of their athletes. Protecting the mixed martial artists of the UFC and Strikeforce is Zuffa's number one top priority.
This has been reassured many times, but none as significantly as today as Zuffa has finally walked the walk.
This news may not seem very significant to the average fan, but it should be recognized and appreciated that Zuffa has the utmost respect and care for its athletes in protecting them while they train to be the worlds best athletes and entertainers. Many professional sports insure their athletes' safety in both practice and competition but a fighter's regimen is not like any other athletes, which makes this all the more important.
Any average person, athlete or not, knows how badly a lack of health insurance can quickly result in a number of problems. You break an ankle, then can't pay for it and suddenly you are in debt and immobile. This scenario is no rarity and the injury risk for physical specimens (the fighters) is considerably higher.
Although hearing about UFC 130's main event change was a disappointment, any human being who can feel pain should have gained a new perspective and appreciation for Zuffa and its fighters.
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