THE FOLLOWING 18 AMATEUR COMPETITORS HAVE PROVIDED MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION AS DETAILED BELOW, WHICH HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND ACCEPTED BY SAFE MMA IN ADVANCE OF CAGE LEGACY 11 – DUE TO TAKE PLACE AT THE FINNSTOWN CASTLE HOTEL, DUBLIN, IRELAND ON SATURDAY, 23RD MARCH 2019: Continue reading “Cage Legacy 11 | Pre-clearance of competitors”
THE FOLLOWING 18 AMATEUR PARTICIPANTS HAVE PROVIDED MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION AS DETAILED BELOW, WHICH HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND ACCEPTED BY SAFE MMA IN ADVANCE OF WIMP2WARRIOR CORK SEASON 4 FINALE – DUE TO TAKE PLACE AT THE GLEN ROVERS HURLING CLUB, CORK, IRELAND ON SUNDAY, 24TH MARCH 2019: Continue reading “Wimp2Warrior Cork Season 4 Finale | Pre-clearance of competitors”
[9 March 2019] 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.
THE FOLLOWING 14 PROFESSIONAL COMPETITORS HAVE PROVIDED MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION AS DETAILED BELOW, WHICH HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND ACCEPTED BY SAFE MMA IN ADVANCE OF CAGE WARRIORS 103 – DUE TO TAKE PLACE AT K.B.HALLEN, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK ON SATURDAY, 9TH MARCH 2019: Continue reading “Cage Warriors 103 | Pre-clearance of competitors”
[2 March 2019] Tonight, two MMA events take place in the UK under the Cage Warriors brand: Cage Warriors 102 in London, two shows on from Cage Warriors’ centenary event in December, and also Cage Warriors Academy Wales, as part of the more recent Cage Warriors Academy regional series.
As a founding member of Safe MMA, Cage Warriors partnered with the organisation for the medical preclearance of an event for the first time with Cage Warriors 52 on 9 March 2013, requiring medical examinations and blood tests of its competitors among other safety protocol (now known as “Mark 1”). The partnership has continued to this day, with Cage Warriors introducing enhanced medical requirements, including brain scans, for its professionals in 2016 (to the newer “Mark 3” standard).
More recently, the Cage Warriors brand has partnered with regional promoters across the United Kingdom and Ireland to create Cage Warriors Academy shows in addition to its core events. The academies platform features a pro – am line up with a focus on local talent development, creating a structured competition pathway for athletes aspiring to the big show. The local academies shows to-date have required “Mark 1” compliance of competitors, echoing the stairway in medical requirements, for example, between amateurs and professionals in the United States, where brain scans are only required as athletes progress in their career and thought to become increasingly exposed to risk.
Under local promoter, Richard Shore, Cage Warriors Academy Wales has for tonight’s event introduced a “Mark 3” requirement (including brain scans) for its professional competitors for the first time, demonstrating a commitment to ongoing review and advancement of athlete safety.
The progress has also been enabled by a growing medical infrastructure for Safe MMA competitors in the UK. Due to negative perceptions of the sport, establishing a network of MMA friendly and reasonably affordable medical professionals and services has been challenging and taken significant work, with some regions still far better covered than others.
Cage Warriors matchmaker, Ian Dean, commented:
“Once again, I would like to thank both Safe MMA and our athletes for their efforts to ensure Cage Warriors 102 has been cleared to the usual Mark 3 standard. I also would also like to extend this to Cage Warriors Academy Wales, who have made sure their professional fighters have been cleared to the same level.”
For more information about Cage Warriors or tickets to either of tonight’s shows, please visit: https://cagewarriors.com/
THE FOLLOWING 24 PROFESSIONAL COMPETITORS HAVE PROVIDED MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION AS DETAILED BELOW, WHICH HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND ACCEPTED BY SAFE MMA IN ADVANCE OF CAGE WARRIORS 102 – DUE TO TAKE PLACE AT THE INDAGO AT THE O2, LONDON, ENGLAND ON SATURDAY, 2ND MARCH 2019: Continue reading “Cage Warriors 102 | Pre-clearance of competitors”
THE FOLLOWING 6 PROFESSIONAL COMPETITORS HAVE PROVIDED MEDICAL DOCUMENTATION AS DETAILED BELOW, WHICH HAS BEEN INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED AND ACCEPTED BY SAFE MMA IN ADVANCE OF CAGE WARRIORS ACADEMY WALES 3 – DUE TO TAKE PLACE AT THE EBBW VALES SPORTS CENTRE, EBBW VALE, WALES ON SATURDAY, 2ND MARCH 2019: Continue reading “Cage Warriors Academy Wales 3 | Pre-clearance of competitors”
