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ESPN app. The
Ultimate Fighting Championship is extending its arrangement
with the Cleveland Clinic to study brain health for the next
several years. The promotion announced via press release on Thursday that it has
signed a five-year extension to work with the Cleveland Clinic. The
goal of this collaborative effort is to study “the long-term
effects of repetitive head trauma and factors that put certain
individuals at high risk of developing chronic traumatic
encephalopathy (CTE).” In addition to its support, the company is
donating $1 million to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las
Vegas. This study has been going on for 10 years, and the UFC will
make sure it is a part of at least the next five.
“UFC is proud to continue its support of both Cleveland Clinic and
the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study,” UFC Chief Operating
Officer Lawrence Epstein explained. “UFC has supported this study
since its inception, and we take pride in standing at the forefront
of helping set new standards for athlete health and safety in all
sports. Dr. Bernick and Dr. Ritter are doing an amazing job, and we
look forward to helping them advance their research.”
The Professional Athletes Brain Health Study was formed in 2011 to
study a group of professional fighters. As it has grown, it has
since added focus to several other sports that also feature
frequent head trauma, like professional bull riders. The study has
expanded to include over 800 athletes, both retire and active, in
the voluntary tests and scans. Every year, many of these athletes
come in to get tested, so that changes can be tracked and observed
over time.
Founder of the study Dr. Bernick was thrilled at this news,
explaining, “The support provided by the UFC has been fundamental
to the success of the study, allowing us to reach this 10-year
milestone in our research. Not only has their financial commitment
helped to sustain the infrastructure needed for this ongoing
project, the encouragement they have given fighters to participate
and the expense they have offered in regards to mixed martial arts
has been invaluable.”
Following his colleague’s response, co-lead investigator Dr. Ritter
concluded, “Our study is unique because we are attempting to look
at all of these factors — whether they are genetic, inflammatory,
based on the number of fights, time between fights, etc.—
simultaneously to determine which are most important in keeping an
athlete’s brain healthy. The key for the next 10 years is to
discover which factors are most crucial in each individual. The
Professional Athletes Brain Health Study is the largest and
longest-lasting study to look at this issue. Without the support of
the UFC, a study like this would never happen.”
