According to a Jan. 8 report from MMA Mania, UFC President Dana White thinks MMA is the safest sport in the world.
"In the 20-year history of the UFC, it will be 20-years in November, there has never been a death or a serious injury," White said. "Never been a death or serious injury in 20 years because we go above and beyond when it comes to the safety of these guys. When you know you have two healthy athletes getting ready to compete, they get the proper medical attention before and after, it's the safest sport in the world, fact."
UFC officials pride themselves on taking great precautions when it comes to fighter safety, especially head injuries. Such precautions include shelving top-notch fighters for up to three months, when the promotion could be making valuable pay-per-view dollars off them.
"Concussion is a huge dilemma right now for the NFL," White said. "Here's the difference between the UFC and the NFL as far as concussions are concerned. First of all, if you get a concussion, if you get knocked out or you get hurt whatsoever in the UFC, three months suspension. You are on suspension for three months and you cannot come back until you are cleared by a doctor. You can't have any contact whatsoever. In the NFL, you're not going to lose Tom Brady for three months, man. You lose Tom Brady for three months and your whole season is wiped out. So, the UFC, listen, we don't hide from it, it's a contact sport and that's what these guys do, (is) much safer."
Time will tell if MMA turns out to be safer than football. The sport of mixed martial arts is just 20 years old, so most of the original cage fighters are still in their late-40s.
There is a much larger sample size to consider when looking at the NFL, as professional football has been around for close to 100 years.
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