Safe MMA founding promoter, Cage Warriors, has introduced Safe MMA medical preclearance for tonight’s Cage Warriors 103 in Denmark.
This has seen the promoter implement the charity’s, third-party vetting services for the first time outside the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as its Mark 3 requirement for brain scans and specialist eye tests alongside blood tests and medical examinations.
Cage Warriors President, Graham Boylan, commented:
“As a founding member Cage Warriors has been committed to Safe MMA ever since its inception in 2012. As we enter the third year of ensuring that our UK and Irish events have mandatory brain scans for professional athletes, I felt now was the time to extend this program to our international events. CW 103 will be one of our biggest events to-date, taking place at a sold-out K.B Hallen in Denmark.
“I felt it was important to make sure that all our athletes were vetted to the Safe MMA Mark 3 standard (a standard that is higher than that required by the local governing body), a standard that we will be keeping for all Cage Warriors events.
“This event has received widespread media coverage in the Danish media, featuring an Olympian medal-winning local star in Mark O. Madsen and two world title fights.”
Critically, the preclearance process identified an unknown finding that could put a competitor at significant risk, thus leading to Cage Warriors’ cancellation of the bout following tireless work to attain an accurate assessment and the best medical advice.
Graham Boylan stated:
“In light of today’s findings, I feel our commitment to Safe MMA and fighter safety has not only been vindicated but also strengthened and I am glad we have taken steps to introduce the Safe MMA Mark 3 standard for this international event.
“I am naturally saddened for both fighters who have dedicated the past few weeks preparing for this fight. However, this decision has rightly been taken out of our hands as one of the competitors has not been pre-cleared to compete due to an existing injury. Without Safe MMA, this injury would have not been found by either ourselves or by the local federation which could have resulted in a more serious incident on the night.
“I wish the fighter a speedy recovery and will look to re-book his opponent at a later date, but for now my commitment to this project remains strong as fighter safety is paramount and I wish the remaining 14 fighters on this card the very best of luck for what is the biggest card in Danish MMA history.”
UPDATE [9/03/19, 19:00hrs]: This afternoon, following cancellation of the bout, a contrary professional opinion was provided by the competitor. Safe MMA sought an urgent third, independent opinion and dialogue was facilitated between the medical consultants, who concluded one hour prior to event start that the competitor should not be barred from competing on the basis of the finding. It was too late by that time to recall the fight.
Safe MMA Trustee, Marc Goddard, said:
“Safe MMA once again proves its worth, and again, outstanding work and commitment to integrity has been demonstrated by Cage Warriors. Our main concern now is that the competitor in question is advised and treated as necessary.“
Matchmaker Ian Dean commented further to commend the competitor’s dedication.
For more information about Cage Warriors, please visit: https://cagewarriors.com/
For more information about the preclearance of competitors for Cage Warriors 103, see Safe MMA’s public notice here.
