Analysis of the fight-ending chokes in the history of the Ultimate Fighting Championship™ mixed martial arts promotion

Cognitive Assessment in Grappling Athletes Following Choke versus Nonchoke Submissions

PURPOSE

Participation in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts has increased over the last three decades. These sports feature submission attacks, including strangles. These strangles, termed "chokes" in this context, primarily limit blood flow to the brain via compression of neck vasculature. There has been discussion in literature of the possibility of measurable cognitive effects following transient choking episodes. The present study used the King-Devick test (KDT) platform, a tablet-based reaction time and accuracy task designed to measure participants' number recognition, cognition, and verbal expression. This task requires functional vision, saccadic eye movements, comprehension, and expression.

METHODS

Volunteer participants were screened for exclusion (prior brain injury) criteria and survey information before testing. Athletes were tested with the KDT immediately before a Brazilian jiu-jitsu training session, again immediately after succumbing to either a choke ("Choke" arm) or nonchoke ("Non-Choke" arm) submission while sparring, and again after a 10-min rest period following the postsubmission test. Analysis was done on test failures, total test times, and individual difference scores between baseline and subsequent testing.

RESULTS

Sixty-two (32 Choke, 30 Non-Choke) participants were analyzed. There was no significant difference between Choke and Non-Choke in test failures ( χ2 (1,62) = 1.25, P = 0.263), total times ( t (60) = 0.62, P = 0.540; 95% CI, -3.44 to 6.51), and individual difference scores ( t (60) = 0.29, P = 0.776; 95% CI, -2.41 to 3.21).

CONCLUSIONS

There were no significant differences between study arms in any of the three analyzed measures. This suggests that cognitive functioning, as measured by the KDT, is not affected by transient choking episodes.

Assessing the Incidence of Head Trauma in Australian Mixed Martial Arts: A Retrospective Analysis of Fight Outcomes

BACKGROUND

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is experiencing a surge in popularity in Australia. Previous research has suggested knockout (KO) and technical knockout (TKO) are frequent outcomes during competition, raising concern about the brain health of athletes. This study aims to describe fight outcomes in Australian MMA and to explore differences in fight-ending outcomes between male and female athletes, amateur and professional competition, and different weight classes.

HYPOTHESIS

There is no difference in the incidence of KO/TKO between level of competition, sex, and weight class.

STUDY DESIGN

Descriptive epidemiology study.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level 3.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis of 143 Australian MMA events from 2020 to 2023 was conducted using video replay to assess fight outcomes between sex and level of competition. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to determine relationships between weight class and KO/TKO fight outcomes.

RESULTS

Male competition (34%) had a significantly greater number of KO/TKO secondary to head strikes fight outcomes compared with female competition (23%) (P = 0.01). The KO/TKO rate secondary to head strikes for amateur and professional male competition was 16.6 and 18.7 per 100 athlete-exposures (AEs), respectively. The amateur and professional female rate was 12.6 and 7.4 per 100 AEs, respectively. Amateur male light heavyweight and heavyweight, and professional male heavyweight were at greater odds of a KO or TKO compared with other weight classes in their equivalent level of competition.

CONCLUSION

There is a sex and professional level disparity in the incidence of fight-ending head trauma in Australian MMA. The study findings highlight the urgent need for targeted safety protocols and medical oversight, particularly for men in heavier weight classes.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This study highlights the need for enhanced safety protocols and medical oversight in Australian MMA, particularly for male athletes in heavier weight divisions.

Human third-party observers accurately track fighting skill and vigour along their unique paths to victory

Sexual selection via male-male contest competition has shaped the evolution of agonistic displays, weaponry, and fighting styles, and is further argued to have shaped human psychological mechanisms to detect, process, and respond appropriately to cues of fighting ability. Drawing on the largest fight-specific dataset to date across the sports and biological sciences (N = 2765 fights), we examined how different indicators of fighting ability in humans reflect unique paths to victory and indicate different forms of perceived and actual resource-holding power (RHP). Overall, we discovered that: (1) both striking skill and vigour, and grappling skill and vigour, individually and collectively predict RHP; (2) different RHP indicators are distinguished by a unique path to victory (e.g., striking skill is a knockout-typical strategy, whereas grappling vigour is a submission-typical strategy); and (3) third-party observers accurately track fighting skill and vigour along their unique paths to victory. Our argument that different measures of RHP are associated with unique paths to victory, and third-party observers accurately track fighting vigour and skill along their unique paths to victory, advance our understanding not only of human contest competition, but animal contest theory more broadly.

Concussion vs. resignation by submission: Technical–tactical behavior analysis considering injury in mixed martial arts

This research study verified the technical–tactical actions during the mixed martial arts (MMA) fights to generate serious enough injury to stop the MMA round, determining technical-tactical potential risk factors for injury in official MMA combats, according to Concussion or Resignation per Submission. A total of 990 rounds with concussions and 627 resignations per submission were considered with severe injury (i.e., a fight ended by a doctor or referee). All injuries were diagnosed and managed by attending ringside physicians during the MMA fights and rounds and had a continuous technical–tactical behavior analysis, p ≤ 0.05. The leading cause of concussion was due to head trauma (~90%), with higher dependence on head strikes scored actions. Comparisons between Concussion and Resignation per Submission combats demonstrated differences between distance head strikes actions [13(6,25) vs. 9(4,18) frequencies], clinch head strikes actions [1(0;4) vs. 1(0;3) frequencies], ground head strikes actions [1(0;8) vs. 2(0;10) frequencies] and takedowns actions [0(0;1) vs. 1(0;2) frequencies]. This information may provide significant evidence regarding the doctor stoppage in concussion combats and when it could be called by officials supervising MMA.

Cervical Artery Dissections and Ischemic Strokes Associated with Vascular Neck Compression Techniques (Sportive Chokes)

BACKGROUND

Strangulation as a fight-finishing maneuver in combat sports, termed "choking" in that context, occurs worldwide millions of times yearly. This activity can be trained safely, but devastating injuries can occur.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to present a case series of cervical artery dissections and ischemic strokes associated with sportive choking. Sharing these cases is meant to draw awareness, to assist emergency physicians in caring for these athletes, and to provide a platform for further research.

METHODS

Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Participants consented for medical information transfer and anonymous academic reproduction. The minimum medical record information necessary for inclusion was a report of diagnosis-confirming advanced imaging. Participants were contacted for primary information in addition to what the medical records could provide and to confirm some information in the record (e.g., pertinent medical history, demographic characteristics, choking event description, medical care, and commentary on their current health). Medical records and additional first-hand information were reviewed and participants were included if they had a diagnosed dissection or stroke likely associated with a sportive choke.

RESULTS

Ten cases met all criteria for inclusion. There were 5 cases of carotid artery dissection, 3 cases of vertebral artery dissection, and 2 cases of ischemic stroke without dissection. Nine of 10 participants survived and 3 of 10 have returned to submission grappling training.

CONCLUSIONS

Cervical artery dissections and ischemic strokes can occur in association with sportive choking. Emergency physicians must be aware of the widespread nature of this activity and must be vigilant in approaching management of patients with symptoms consistent with these injuries.

The Research of Chinese Martial Arts Cross-Media Communication System Based on Deep Neural Network

The spread of Chinese martial arts is crucial for the world to understand Chinese culture. If only relying on one transmission method, it will lead to the difference of transmission and its lack of certain real time. This will lead to differences in the understanding of Chinese martial arts, which is also not conducive to the spread of Chinese glorious culture. Cross-media communication technology can solve this communication difference problem very well. The deep neural network method was used to fuse relevant features of Chinese martial arts, and it also analyzes the feasibility of neural network technology in cross-media communication. At the same time, this study uses deep neural network to study the timeliness of Chinese martial arts in the process of cross-media communication. The research results show that the convolutional neural network can effectively extract the characteristics of Chinese martial arts and carry out effective dissemination. However, the hybrid convolutional neural network with temporal features has higher accuracy in extracting Chinese martial arts features. This hybrid convolutional neural network is more conducive to the dissemination of Chinese martial arts through cross-media technology, which can ensure its timeliness. The maximum error of deep neural network technology in predicting Chinese martial arts culture is only 2.67%. This part of the error comes from the action characteristics of Chinese martial arts culture, which shows that neural network technology has good feasibility.

Exploratory Systematic Review of Mixed Martial Arts: An Overview of Performance of Importance Factors with over 20,000 Athletes

This review aimed to analyze the findings in the literature related to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) through an exploratory systematic review and to present the state of the art from a multifactorial perspective. The review was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement, with a search performed in the Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. Participants were competitive athletes (amateurs or professionals) of regional, national, or international levels. Of the 2763 registries identified, 112 studies met the eligibility criteria. The pooled sample size and age were 20,784 participants, with a mean age of 27.7 ± 6 years for male and 28.9 ± 3 years for female, with the vast majority of athletes being male (94.9%). MMA athletes were 17.2% amateurs, 73.8% professionals, and 9% were not reported. The scientific literature related to MMA reported injuries (n = 28), weight loss (n = 21), technical and tactical analysis (n = 23), physical fitness (n = 8), physiological responses and training characteristics (n = 13), psychobiological parameters (n = 12), and interventions applied to MMA athletes (n = 7). Therefore, this exploratory systematic review presents practitioners and researchers with seven broad summaries of each facet of performance of importance in this population of athletes.

Approach considerations for the management of strangulation in the emergency department

Patients with a history of strangulation present to the emergency department with a variety of different circumstances and injury patterns. We review the terminology, pathophysiology, evaluation, management, and special considerations for strangulation injuries, including an overview of forensic considerations and legal framework for strangulation events.

Application of Data Mining in the Analysis of Martial Arts Athlete Competition Skills and Tactics

In martial arts, data mining technologies are used to describe and analyze the moves of athletes and changes in the process and sequences. Martial arts is a process in which athletes use all kinds of strengths and actions to make offensive and defensive changes according to the tactics of opponents. One such martial arts is Wushu arts as it has a long history in reference to Chinese martial arts. During the Wushu competition, Wushu athletes show their adaptability and technical level in complex, random, and nonlinear competitive abilities, organized and systematic skills, tactics, and position movement. Using data mining techniques, in-depth mining a particular type of martial arts competition technology and tactics behind statistical data, and using the data to find the law of change to solve some problems, for martial arts athletes in daily training to develop technology and tactics and improve competition results, is the practical significance of data mining in martial arts athletes competition. This research explored the relationship between goal-oriented and mental intensity and their effect on competitive success outcomes.