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11/02/2024 07:30:40 am

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Tito Ortiz Calls for UFC and Bellator Support Against Fighter's Mental Issues

Actress Jenna Jameson and boyfriend, Ultimate Fighting Championship star Tito Ortiz, pose at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, California.

(Photo : REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni)

Former light heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and current Bellator mixed martial artist, Tito Ortiz, seeks support from both of his fighting organizations to help against behavioral and mental issues in fighters.

Ortiz told Inside MMA that it might be time for a top Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) organization to prepare a longterm plan for combatants who exhibit signs of mental illness.

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He goes on to talk about several fighters like Jon Koppenhaver, better known as War Machine who beat up is porn star girlfriend, and Jason "Mayhem" Miller who was recently arrested by the police for some of his odd actions.

While he does not condone what they have done, he says that with all the head trauma that these fighters have sustained head injuries and traumas.

Currently, ex-UFC fighter Krzysztof Soszynski at only 37-years old is having a hard time counting back from 20 and struggles from memory loss.

The UFC offers fighters on their payroll medical insurance. However, some fighters are asking for a program similar to the National Football League's (NFL) "88 Plan" which gives retired players US $88,000 a year for medical and custodial care for dementia.

Boxers have always had a visible problems after their career. Most veteran boxers have brain troubles from getting hit in the head so many times.

Apart from minor and major injuries to the body, there are neuropsychological consequences from boxing as reported by the Oxford Archives of Clinical Psychology.

Chief among these consequences is post-concussion syndromes that result in headaches, dizziness, balance difficulty, and memory problems.

There is also a condition called Chronic Traumatic Encephalophathy (CTE), or dementia pugilistica. This is the most common effect, as fighters have a punch-drunk-like state that affects their speech and movements.

For the longest time, MMA has been differentiated from the boxing due to the submissions and the lighter gloves that fighters wear that allow them for a quicker knockout. This means that they don't have to go on fighting 12 or so rounds.

But, the issue is real; a clear and present danger, as fighters are even getting concussed from grappling exercises.

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