I will be the sole responder who agrees with you that promotions like the UFC cross the line in terms of acceptable injury to fighters.
Most professional MMA fighters with a few years in have severe debilitating injuries. I am not talking about a bad knee of slipped disc, I am talking about severe chronic pain and brain damage, something that is the inevitable result of the kind of punishment they deal with. Just look at someone like George Saint-Pierre who suddenly forgets what he has been doing for the last six hours.
It doesn't matter if fighters participate of their own free will, I could probably go into the slums right now and get two people to fight to the death over a $50 bill. There's a reason we have laws to prevent exploitation and don't just leave it to people's "free will".
I very much like MMA as a sport, but I wish there was a way to protect the fighters better. Headgear? Who can honestly say that they enjoy a fight where the fighters are bathed in each other's blood, not to mention the health implications (even the ref wears gloves).
One might argue that MMA crosses the line in terms of acceptable injury, but it would be quite unfair to single the sport out as "the sport that crosses the line".
Boxing, Kickboxing and Football are arguably as bad as MMA in regards to brain damage, and many other sports in regards to chronic pain of some sort.
Calling MMA out specifically on this issue is a convolution of the perceived violence and the degree of injury. (I don't care if fighters bathe in each other's blood, as long as the blood stems from a cut)
The problem is that protecting the fighters is not simply a matter of adding Headgear (you can get knocked out easily with headgear as well btw) in fights, as a lot of fighters accrue their injuries in training.
If it would be only the fight that could cause harm, I would argue MMA would be safe. But the lifestyle of a fighter as a whole is extremely unhealthy.
Most professional MMA fighters with a few years in have severe debilitating injuries. I am not talking about a bad knee of slipped disc, I am talking about severe chronic pain and brain damage, something that is the inevitable result of the kind of punishment they deal with. Just look at someone like George Saint-Pierre who suddenly forgets what he has been doing for the last six hours.
It doesn't matter if fighters participate of their own free will, I could probably go into the slums right now and get two people to fight to the death over a $50 bill. There's a reason we have laws to prevent exploitation and don't just leave it to people's "free will".
I very much like MMA as a sport, but I wish there was a way to protect the fighters better. Headgear? Who can honestly say that they enjoy a fight where the fighters are bathed in each other's blood, not to mention the health implications (even the ref wears gloves).