Alves Out of UFC 111

MMAWeekly.com is reporting that Thiago Alves is off the UFC 111 card. Alves was set to rematch Jon Fitch Saturday night in what had potential to be the fight of the night. Unfortunately, a CAT scan revealed "issues that could not be resolved before their scheduled fight on March 27th."

Brain injuries are a touchy issue. For a long time, MMA supporters pointed to the higher degree of safety in MMA compared to boxing due to the smaller gloves. The larger boxing gloves allowed combatants to absorb more punishment over the course of a fight. Accumulation of hundreds of blows to the head during the course of a ten, twelves or fifteen round boxing match caused severe brain injuries - often leading to irreversible brain damage and in some cases death.

MMA gloves weigh about four ounces, compared to the ten ounce boxing gloves. The rationale behind the "higher degree of safety" is that with smaller gloves, fighters cannot absorb as much damage. One clean punch and a fighter may go down and be done for the night. However, as the popularity of MMA skyrockets and fighter salaries increase, fighters are more willing to put on the show that will keep them relevant in viewers eyes.

Training has become increasing intense in the last few years and fighters are evolving. They are able to take more punishment and continue fighting. Brain injuries may always be a problem in combat sports, but some fighters will always be willing to put their health aside for glory. I'm sure Alves wants to fight, and if a doctor wasn't stopping him, I'm sure he'd get in the cage.

I believe that in the future fighters will be giving and taking nearly as many strikes to the head as in a boxing match, yet still with smaller gloves. Add in the maximum intensity sparring sessions leading up to a fight and you have a recipe for mashed brains. In the coming years we will see the first generation of fighters aging, and we may not like what we see. Now imagine the fighters of tomorrow - how talented and tough they will be - and the damage which will accumulate over years of even harder training and competition.

Regulations and testing like this are absolutely necessary. This sport has the capacity to be brutal, and the participants are willing and able. We all have a responsibility - promoters and sanctioning bodies, as well as fans and supporters - to look out for the athletes which put their skills on display.