European Mixed Martial Arts promotion BAMMA have made the decision to postpone their June 4, BAMMA 26 event in order to implement new medical standards.
The event was scheduled to take place at Dublin’s 3Arena and was set to be headlined by Light-Heavyweight title fight, Paul Craig versus Ireland’s own Chris Fields. The card will now take place on September 10th and is fully expected to still take place in Ireland.
MMA in Ireland has found itself under a microscope recently, with the unfortunate passing of Portuguese fighter Joao Carvalho in April. In light of this, BAMMA have made the decision to introduce mandatory annual pre-fight MRI/MRA scans for all of their fighters.
The use of MRI scans are to gives medical professionals a closer look at soft tissue, such as tendons, blood vessels, and the brain. This could be extremely important in diagnosing any undisclosed, or unknown brain trauma – a growing issue in mixed martial arts.
The official statement from BAMMA given to fighters and management, reads in its entirety:
“As most of you are aware, the recent tragedy that occurred within Irish MMA has led to numerous ongoing discussions in regard to regulation and how to make the sport safer for participants.
Whilst no regulation has currently been announced, discussions with leading experts in the medical field have led BAMMA to make the decision to introduce mandatory pre fight MRI/MRA scans for fighters.
This means that every BAMMA fighter will be subject to an annual MRI/MRA scan which will serve as important additional protection for the fighter, whilst bringing BAMMA events even closer to NSAC standards.
After consultation within the Irish sporting, medical and political community, a consensus has been reached that it is vital to introduce these scans for the BAMMA 26 event. With this in mind, and to allow the facilitation of these scans for ALL fighters, a decision has been made to move the BAMMA 26 event from June 4th to September 10th. This will leave 3 months of preparation for fighters to organise scans and for them to be reviewed by relevant medical experts.
Whilst a change in date will always cause certain complications, BAMMA believe that this is a hugely positive and imperative step that needs to be taken. All bouts will carry forward to the new date.”
It is unfortunate that fighters will have to re-arrange their training, with many of the BAMMA 26 fighters already mid-camp. However, for the overall progression of the sport in the UK and Ireland, BAMMA’s bold move can be seen only as a positive for the continuing safeguard of athletes. As the sport continues to grow, so do the promoters.
More information on the new BAMMA medical standards are expected to be announced soon. All BAMMA events following BAMMA 26 will follow these new safety standards.
