Both corners, one medical team: why we look after every fighter the same way
There are two fighters in every bout and one medical team. Here is why our care never depends on who is winning, who is the home fighter or who sold the most tickets.
In short
- The medical team does not take sides. Both fighters get the same checks before and after the bout.
- Winners are examined too. Winning a fight does not mean a fighter is uninjured.
- The same written rules apply to everyone, so decisions are consistent and fair.
Every bout has two stories. This film looks at the other side of the bout in our previous film, and at the medical team working around it. It is a good reminder of something we care about a lot: our job is to look after both fighters.
Neutral by design
On fight night a lot of people in the building have a side: the corners, the fans, often the promoter. The medical team cannot. The doctor at the cage is there for whoever needs them, and the decision to advise a stoppage, or to clear a fighter, is made on the same basis for both corners.
That neutrality is easier to keep when the rules are written down. We use the same pre-fight examination for every fighter, the same signs to look out for during the bout and the same minimum suspensions afterwards.
Winners get checked too
It is easy to assume the winner walks away fine. Often they do. But winners also take shots, break hands, pick up cuts and occasionally have a head injury they are too pumped to notice. That is why every fighter is examined after their bout, win or lose, and why the EMMAA protocol gives every competitor at least seven days without contact training.
The team behind the team
A fight night medical team is more than the doctor at the cage. Depending on the size of the event it can include doctors, paramedics, medics and an ambulance crew, each with a clear role. Someone is always watching the cage, someone is ready with the kit, and someone knows the route to hospital if it is needed. When it works well you barely notice us. That is the point.
Fair to fighters, useful to promoters
Consistent, written decisions protect fighters first, and they protect promoters and governing bodies too. When a fighter, a coach or a commission asks why a decision was made, the answer is on record.
What both fighters can expect from us
- The same pre-fight examination and the same standard for clearance.
- The same eyes on them during the bout, and the same willingness to tell the referee if we are worried.
- The same post-fight check, the same written minimum suspension and the same advice.
- A record they can see themselves afterwards, whichever corner they were in.
Questions we get asked
Does the winner really need a post-fight check?
Yes. Winners take shots too, and adrenaline hides injuries. Every fighter, winner or loser, is examined after their bout, and every competitor has at least seven days without contact training under the EMMAA protocol.
What if both fighters are hurt at once?
The team is planned around it. Roles are agreed before the event so each fighter has a clinician with them, and the ambulance crew knows what to do if more than one transfer is needed.
Does the medical team work for the promoter?
The promoter books us, but our decisions are clinical and independent. Nobody can overrule a medical decision to stop a bout or not to clear a fighter.
Further reading
- England Mixed Martial Arts Association EMMAA
The national pathway for amateur MMA in England, including its medical and safety protocols. - Concussion management in combat sports: consensus statement from the Association of Ringside Physicians British Journal of Sports Medicine (Neidecker et al.)
The first consensus written specifically for ringside doctors on concussion and return to competition. - Mixed martial arts: injury patterns and issues for the ringside physician Penn State (Seidenberg)
A review of the injuries MMA doctors see most: head injuries and lacerations lead the list.
General information, not medical advice for an individual. If you are worried about a head injury, call NHS 111; for a severe or worsening headache, repeated vomiting, a seizure or increasing confusion, call 999. Suspension minimums are those of the EMMAA minimum suspension protocol our doctors apply.