@mattfgrady
Mixed martial arts is the most dangerous sport in the world. The sport’s most elite fighters train for years. Learning the best ways to knock out and submit their opponents. It’s no joke. Concussions, torn muscles, broken bones, contusions, and nasty cuts are commonplace. Simply put, other sports are not as risky. They just aren’t. MMA fighters get hurt all the time; in training and in their actual fights. Thankfully, they usually recover, heal up, and live to fight another day.
This week, things were different though.
On Monday, news broke that Portuguese MMA fighter Joao Carvalho had died following a TKO loss in Dublin, Ireland. He was 28. His welterweight fight went three rounds and the TKO finish did not look particularly brutal, late, or negligent. After the fight, Carvalho complained that he was not feeling well and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he had emergency brain surgery. Sadly, he was never able to recover and passed away two days later.
There could not be a worse outcome in a fight. Forget drug failures, pay-per-view cancellations, promotions failing, and injuries; there is no coming back from death. Make no mistake about it, a young man died on Monday after getting punched in the head inside of a cage. This is a serious story that should not be glossed over.
MMA should not be banned or become illegal because of this one incident, but there are a ton of questions that must be asked. Carvalho’s passing can not be in vein. Hopefully, MMA promotions, regulators, gyms, and fighters will examine Carvalho’s death closely and look for ways to avoid other tragedies in the future. There is an opportunity to make things better and safer for fighters in the future.
There are already two investigations, into Carvalho’s death, underway in Ireland. Hopefully, they will answer some the following questions.
Did Carvalho have any medical conditions prior to the fight? What was his pre-fight medical examination like? Was there a brain scan? Had he suffered concussions in the past? Could previous injuries have contributed to his death? Should he have been sanctioned to fight to begin with?
What had Carvalho’s training been like leading up to the fight? Had he suffered any brain trauma in sparring? Did he sustain any other serious injuries during his camp? Did his coaches notice anything unusual?
How was the weight cut? Was he properly hydrated for the fight?
During the fight, were there any signs that he had suffered a catastrophic injury? Had his cornermen sensed any issues in between rounds? Glassy eyes, slurred speech, etc?
What kind of medical personnel were in the arena? Were they properly trained? Were there enough of them?
Could anything have been done differently to avoid this?
Again, we don’t currently have the answers to these questions. It could take weeks or months before we really know what happened to Carvalho. It could have been completely random (an act of God?) or there could have been some legitimate negligence involved somewhere along the line. For now, we just have to wait and see.
One thing is for certain however; Carvalho’s death can not be swept under the rug. MMA promotions, fighters, referees, regulators, and medical personnel must study his passing and learn from it. MMA is inherently dangerous and we need to do everything we can to make sure tragedies like this do not occur regularly. This is an opportunity to learn and do better.
Lives are at stake.
Matt thinks dying sucks. It happens to everyone eventually, but it shouldn’t happen to healthy, 28 year old athletes competing in sanctioned sports.
