Though it may sound harsh, pain is a big part of MMA. Fighters are putting their bodies through huge stresses each time they step on the mat. No matter if it’s training or pro fight, the risk of injuries is really high in MMA. Absorbing punches and grappling on a daily basis really takes a toll on your body.
How do MMA fighters deal with these injuries and pain? Well, fighters care about their bodies much more than average people because they depend on them. They usually see the best doctors, go to expensive rehabs and take a lot of rest from training. This allows them to speed up the process and recover much faster than average people.
Now, let’s dive deep into how MMA fighters deal with pain, injuries, and what methods they use to prevent them.
How do MMA Fighters deal with pain during a match?
In general, MMA fighters absorb a huge amount of damage in just about every fight. Their bodies receive heavy punches, kicks, as well as vicious elbow and knee strikes. We can often see them covered in blood, having big swellings while still pressing forward and looking for more. But, how they can ignore the pain and injuries in a fight?
The answer lays both in the way they prepare in the gym and the mental aspects of fighting.
First of all, their bodies are used to absorbing hard strikes in the gym while preparing for a match. In fact, they often perform drills to strengthen their bodies such as allowing their training partner to repeatedly hit them. Along with strength training and sparring, this is one of the ways they build high pain tolerance.
Mental toughness also plays a key role during the fight. You see, fighters know the risks that come with fighting and they expect to feel pain. Once they step inside the cage, they feel the pain and damage, but they won’t enter panic mode as most people would. This is because they felt this type and intensity of the pain many times in the gym.
When you add a huge adrenalin rush and fear to the mix, you get that most MMA fighters can “ignore” the pain. They do feel it to some extent, but that does not bother them at all.
What are the most common injuries in MMA fighting?
The UFC Performance Institute (PI) has come up with a very good study on injuries in the UFC. The study includes the types and most common injuries fighters sustain in training or while competing. According to UFC PI, 77% of injuries took place in a fight while 10% in training.
Here is their list of body areas with the highest risk of injury during the UFC fights:
| Head/Face | 77.8% |
| Wrist/fingers/hands | 19.5% |
| Knee | 15.6% |
| Feet | 10.7% |
| Shoulders | 9.7% |
| Lower leg | 5.3% |
| Elbow | 4.8% |
As we can see, most injuries come by the way of strikes in the standup which is what we expected. When it comes to grappling, the risk of injuries is really low as you can always tapout to avoid any severe damage.
That said, let’s look at the list of most common injuries fighters can suffer in a fight:
- Fractures (broken nose, orbital bone, fingers, or hand
- Knee injuries like MCL, ACL, and PCL
- Concussions (memory loss, blurred vision, bad headaches)
How do MMA fighters deal with emotional pain after a loss?
MMA fighters may look like gladiators on TV, but in the end, they are all humans too. They can also be emotional and anxious, notably after a tough loss. The pressure and sacrifice that comes with pro MMA fighting is one of those things few people can relate to.
Although no-one wants to lose, being on the losing side is a part of the MMA game and how you deal with it is very important. As the famous Rocky line says: It ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward.
MMA fighters are all different and they deal with emotions in their own way. Getting knocked out cold, for instance, can mess with their mind and raise many questions. Most of them have families, kids, and there is a life after fighting they all need to think about.
Usually, fighters would stay away from media and gym for a couple of weeks. Instead, most of them would focus on spending more time with their families to get their heads back in place. Some fighters can stay away from the sport for up to six months before even talking about the future. In the meantime, they would rest until they are ready to come back to the gym.
On the other side, another group of fighters who has the ability to take the loss well and go back to the gym the next morning. Yet, this doesn’t mean they don’t feel sad or mad. No, they just have the ability to control their emotions better and not get overwhelmed by them.
How do MMA fighters deal with severe injuries after the fight?
MMA fighters suffer serious injuries in just about every MMA event. Don’t be delusional thinking you can avoid bad injuries as this is a high-risk sport. But the way they deal with these injuries is vital since they all want to recover as soon as possible.
First of all, each MMA event involves medical staff overlooking the event. Every fighter has to go through medical checks before and after the fight is over. If a fighter sustains a bad injury, they will instantly go to the nearest hospital for further tests.
For some fighters, the day after looks like recovering from a car crash. It includes surgeries, stitches, painkillers, many sleepless nights, and a lot of rest. Just recall how bad Rory McDonald looked like after his war with Robbie Lawler. In fact, they both ended in hospital after the bout.
Based on the type of injury and how bad it is, fighters must take a medical suspension of up to six months before they can spar or compete again. They would usually work with the best doctors and physicians to heal as fast as possible. In some cases, the UFC would help them with their contacts and provide the best medical care.
Still, MMA fighters recover much faster than average people. This is mainly because they are young (20–30), and have really strong bodies. Not to mention they tend to be much disciplined during the recovery process as they depend on their bodies.
Once a doctor gives them a green light, they can go back to the gym and start preparing for their comeback.
How do MMA fighters condition their bodies to prevent injuries?
MMA is a brutal sport that puts a lot of stress on your mind and body. As said earlier, it’s very easy to get hurt or injured in MMA, but what fighters can do to avoid this? In fact, fighters do a lot of things to stay away from injuries. Here is a list of things MMA fighters do to keep their bodies safe:
- Strength training– The best way to prevent injuries is to improve core strength. MMA training puts a lot of emphasis on strength exercises like weight lifting or kettlebell workouts.
- Wearing protective gear– most injuries in training take place during the sparring sessions. Some fighters prefer to spar hard without wearing gear like they are in a real MMA match. Although this has some benefits, it raises the risk of injuries by a large margin. To keep the risks low, most fighters wear headgear, shin pads, and padded gloves.
- Stretching- MMA fighters stretch before and after every training session. Keeping their bodies flexible is crucial to avoid injuries during grappling exchanges. One of the benefits is that stretching increases the blood flow to the muscles which helps them recover much faster.
- A lot of rest- MMA fighters train a lot. But, they also have to rest even more to allow their body to heal itself after an intense training session.
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