Opinion: Blood-and-Guts Risk Not Worth the Reward in the UFC

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Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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Weak though it may have been on paper, UFC on ESPN 71 provided exceptional action on Aug. 2. Esteban Ribovics and Elves Brener put on a “Fight of the Year”-caliber contest, only for Chris Duncan and Mateusz Rebecki to follow with one of their own in the co-main event. I can’t recall seeing such quality entertainment in back-to-back bouts, which makes it such a shame that they took place in front of about 20 fans at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Regardless, I’m not here to talk about the exploits of the UFC Apex. My topic of choice is the type of damage that fighters tend to incur during these all-out wars. While MMA is still young in comparison to the other major sports in North America, it has now been around long enough that we have some examples of the heavy price that can be paid by fighters who opt to engage in these blood-and-guts battles.

There have been a couple of prominent examples in the news in recent weeks. Diego Sanchez, one of the more memorable blood-and-guts competitors in Ultimate Fighting Championship history, was recently arrested on multiple gun charges. While Sanchez has always been eccentric, the footage released showed someone who didn’t seem to have all his mental faculties about him. This comes after he was bilked by Joshua Fabia into signing over $100,000 dollars to sever their relationship—a situation most couldn’t figure out how Sanchez managed to get himself into in the first place.

The other example comes from former two-division champion B.J. Penn, who has endured multiple arrests related to domestic situations with himself and his family. Penn has claimed his family members have been replaced by lookalikes and recently violated a restraining order that was placed on him involving the home he shared with his mother. While Penn wasn’t someone most people think about in terms of the blood-and-guts fights, he did eat an insane amount of damage over the last eight fights of his career, none of them victories. Penn’s decline wasn’t gradual; he fell off a cliff.

At this point, after years of absorbing untold damage, it’s hard to say there isn’t a correlation between the brain trauma Sanchez and Penn endured and their recent erratic behavior. It’s not like they’re the only examples we have, either. Gary Goodridge was diagnosed with a neurological condition associated with head trauma in 2012. Spencer Fisher’s struggles with neurological issues have also been well-documented. Jordan Parsons’ brain was examined following his tragic death in 2016, and he was found to have been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy—a neurogenerative disease linked to repeated blows to the head—despite a relatively short career.

We can’t pretend like the repercussions of fighting don’t exist. It’s easy to shrug it off while one is in the eye of the storm. The surge of adrenaline that comes from scoring a vicious knockout. The adulation of the crowd as combatants continue to throw fists at one another. The monetary bonuses that come with fighting without restraint. It’s hard to ignore the positives that are associated with the sport when fighters are in the middle of their careers.

Ribovics and Rebecki appear to be particular causes for concern given their propensity to engage in these types of back-and-forth battles. Most fighters don’t ever participate in the level of sustained violence that was present in their 15-minute slugfest. This is the second time in as many years they have taken part in the kind of bout that could potentially take years off their lives. No doubt they’ve established themselves as fan favorites as a result, but they’ve also established themselves as people for us to keep an eye on once their careers conclude, and for all the wrong reasons.

I’m not attempting to demonize the sport or tell those involved they should avoid partaking in blood-and-guts fights. I enjoy their sacrifices as much as the next guy. When mixed martial arts is at its peak, there is no more enjoyable sport, and Ribovics-Brener and Duncan-Rebecki represented MMA at its finest. However, we need to be aware of the risks associated with full-contact fighting and hopefully provide a safety net should those who make such sacrifices prove unable to function within society due to brain trauma.

Beyond that, let’s maximize the rewards these fighters can realize in these moments. That starts with eliminating UFC Apex cards. Ribovics, Brener, Duncan and Rebecki didn’t get to experience the rush that comes from the roar of the crowd when they engaged in their fights for the ages. Have you ever heard of a performer that cowed from the adulation of the audience? The best place to be is under the bright lights in front of thousands of fans. Besides, if the UFC wants to be seen as one of the major sports, enough with empty auditoriums.

Compensation is another factor to consider. Providing each of those men an extra $50,000 isn’t a bad start, but the UFC has been handing out $50,000 performance bonuses since 2013, with few exceptions. Isn’t it about time the company boosted that amount? Inflation was a huge problem in the not-too-distant past, meaning the $50,000 the UFC first provided went a lot further than the $50K being doled out today. To put it in perspective, Kobe Bryant had the highest salary of any NBA player in 2013 at roughly $27.8 million. The highest salary for the upcoming season? Stephen Curry’s $59.6 million, more than double Bryant’s figure from 2013. Given that the popularity of the NBA has arguably declined in that time while the popularity of MMA has only grown, it boggles the mind that the UFC maintains the same $50,000 bonus from 2013, particularly when we recognize the inherent dangers associated with the sport.

As much as I enjoyed the show of brutality at UFC on ESPN 71, I maintain concern for the futures of the participants. Sure, there are some exceptions. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira endured severe damage throughout his career and seems to have his mental faculties about him—for now. MMA is an unforgiving sport. In an ideal world, the bloodiest of battles would be wildly rewarded. Sometimes, that’s the case, but too often the cost—loss of one’s mental faculties—proves greater than the reward. So as much as I enjoy these fights for the ages, I pray that those who step into the cage are aware of the potential price tag associated with a fleeting moment of glory.