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Spencer Fisher opened many eyes with revelations of the dramatic ways his life has changed while dealing with a severe brain trauma suffered after spending years fighting with the best fighters in the world.
The former UFC lightweight, who was forced to retire in 2013 after brain damage was discovered during a pre-fight medical scan, continues to face a host of symptoms that bother him in his daily life while trying to make a living for his family.
From memory loss to depression and a host of cognitive issues, Fisher’s life has been forever changed by his fighting career.
The startling details were shocking to many, but UFC President Dana White seemed less surprised when asked about Fisher ahead of the upcoming UFC Fight Island 7 card in Abu Dhabi.
“Listen, we learn about head trauma every day,” White told MMA Junkie. “We have been invested in this [Lou] Ruvo Center [at the Cleveland Clinic] to try to find out more. We are now interested in this thing that just came out Real sports on psychedelics and we actually reached out to the guys at Johns Hopkins and we’re diving into it.
“But listen, he’s not the first and he sure won’t be the last. It’s a contact sport and anyone who played it younger, including me, has brain problems. It’s part of the concert.
Most recently, the UFC strengthened its commitment to the Cleveland Clinic as work continues to better understand traumatic brain injuries suffered by athletes. White also mentioned the work done at Johns Hopkins and other medical clinics to explore the effects of psychedelic drugs like magic mushrooms on brain trauma.
UFC ex-fighters Ian McCall and Dean Lister both recently spoke about the improvements they made after experimenting with psychedelic drugs as a way to deal with trauma suffered during their respective careers.
Of course, “part of the gig” and the studies funded to better understand the traumatic brain injury does not help Fisher’s long term health or the costs of the care he obviously needs to cope with the traumatic brain injury he suffered during the course. of her career.
UFC welterweight Matt Brown also sympathized with Fisher’s condition, especially after personally dealing with some of those same symptoms during his career.
“It’s a real thing,” Brown said on Wednesday at UFC Fight Island 7 media day. “I’ve suffered from some of these same things. I know Spencer well. We trained together at the time. A lot of these problems are very possible and that is probably what I would like to put in mind. You have to think about these things. I have been very lucky. I don’t know how I did it because I have had tons and tons of gym wars and of course wars inside the cage too. I would certainly think about it a lot more.
“Because I know Spencer, he’s a friend. I guess I never really talked to him about this stuff even though I knew he was having a hard time with it. I hadn’t realized how deep it really was.
While the court system will eventually have to decide whether or not the UFC is guilty of brain injuries suffered by fighters who competed in the Octagon, Brown believes there is definitely a responsibility beyond the organization where the athletes live.
He actually sees the coaches involved in combat sports as a group that should take a bigger stake, because for many fighters the damage in a career actually starts in the gym.
“Coaches definitely should be doing it,” Brown said. “Fighters are what they are, you don’t want that to be in your head too. I almost didn’t want to read the article because you don’t want to think about it. You know it’s a risk you take, but coaches are their job.
“MMA doesn’t have the best coaches which is another thing I want to do every time I’m finally finished here. I want to be that best coach. The coach I never had. A trainer that a lot of guys probably never will. I think I’ll be a better coach than a fighter. I think I will be much better. I think I can train a lot of champions. It’s about meeting the talent. “
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