Mixed Martial Arts is known to many as a very bloody, barbaric, and uncivilized sport. John McCain has recently been quoted calling it “Human Cockfighting.”(Stossel, Canning 1) However, why hasn’t boxing received this kind of ridicule or criticism? MMA may seem more dangerous because of all the blood and brutal knockouts, but does that mean it is more dangerous? MMA is less dangerous than boxing because of the equipment used, multiple styles in MMA, and the injuries that have occurred in both.

First of all, MMA is safer than Boxing because of the equipment used in each sport. In boxing, gloves can range from 12 ounces to 16 ounces. In MMA, professionals use as small as 4 ounces and are meant for just protecting your hands. Boxing gloves have over three times more padding, so that means it’s safer, right? Wrong, this is bad because a boxer can take hundreds and hundreds of blows to the head in one match. “The Nevada Athletic Commission did a five-year study on injuries in boxing and concluded that the amount of padding used in boxing gloves is directly correlated to the injury rate in boxing. The study warned that more padding in gloves meant punches were easier to absorb, which means a fighter could be hit more times.” (Espinoza 1) While in MMA, since the gloves are so small, a fighter is more likely to go get knocked out and for the fight to be over. This is one significant strike to the head, compared to the multiple that is absorbed in Boxing.

Another reason that MMA is safer than Boxing is because there are multiple fighting styles that are utilized in an MMA bout. “There’s boxing, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Wrestling, Judo, and many more.”(Eitel, 1) This makes MMA safer than boxing because a fighter can win a bout without even throwing a punch. Most fights end in submission, which is basically making an opponent give up or tap-out. An argument was given in one of my classes at school that submissions can snap arms, choke someone out, or dislocate a knee. All three of those have happened but that is in control of the fighter. Since the fighter is able to give up when they want to, not many submissions end in injury. Also, In MMA, the fighter decides when they want to quit, but in boxing, coaches have to decide when to call the fight. There is no way the coach could know what is going on in their fighter’s head.  While in boxing, punches only get thrown to the body or the head.

My last reason as to why MMA is safer than Boxing is by comparing the injuries that have happened in both sports. “In 2008, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine published a study of injuries sustained during sanctioned mixed martial arts competitions. According to their findings, the most common reported injuries were lacerations and upper extremity injuries.” (Espinoza 2) A laceration is a deep cut or gash. The only long-term effects that lacerations have are a little ugly scar wherever the cut was received. There has only ever been one recorded death in the history of the sport. Some may argue that this is because MMA is the younger sport. This is true, but that one death happened to a man in Russia who had previously been known to have heart problems and randomly black out during training. There has never been a death in The UFC (the NFL of MMA) or any other pro league. Boxing may have fewer injuries, but the injuries that do occur are more serious. They are normally permanent brain damage. “American Association of Neurological Surgeons says ninety percent of boxers sustain a brain injury, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.”(MSN.com) The website Sher Dog says that boxing has had 70 recorded deaths. 70 deaths compared to only 1 death, these deaths occurring in any kind of boxing event.
In conclusion, MMA is safer than boxing because of the equipment used, multiple styles in MMA, and the injuries that have occurred in both. I would like to highlight deaths the most. Each fighter knows the danger in each sport and is willing to put himself in the face of danger for whatever reasons. But there has to be something done to help prevent deaths and permanent brain injuries in boxing.

Cited Sources
"Deaths in Boxing and MMA." Sherdog Mixed Martial Arts Forums RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015
Stossel, John, and Andrea Canning. "Parents, Politicians Clash Over Mixed Martial Arts." ABC News. ABC News Network, 30 May 2008. Web. 22 May 2015
"Fighting Styles in the MMA." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 27 Jan. 2015. Web. 22 May 2015
"Which Is More Dangerous: Boxing Or MMA?" AskMen. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2015