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BAMMA 24 INTRODUCES NEW MEDICAL SAFETY STANDARDS
NEW MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR AMATEURS UPSCALED ONSITE MEDICAL PROVISION UNDER SAFE MMA-IRELAND 3 ARENA, DUBLIN - 27th FEBRUARY 2016
(London.27th February.2016) British mixed martial arts promotion, BAMMA, introduces new standards for athlete safety on its show tonight in Dublin, Ireland, “BAMMA 24: Kone Vs. Phillips”.
As one of the founding members of UK and Irish medical organisation, Safe MMA, BAMMA has since January 2013 required its professional athletes to be medically cleared to compete by the organisation, as an independent third party. It has also committed to meet onsite medical requirements, including the presence of doctors for pre and post-match physical examinations. In the United Kingdom there are no regulatory requirements for promoters or participants in MMA meaning that compliance to the Safe MMA code is voluntary. Compulsory physical examinations and blood tests were introduced by the founding promoters solely for paid professional competitors at launch, with respect to the newly incurred cost to fighters.
For BAMMA 24, under the auspices of Safe MMA -Ireland and in a first for the region, the promotion has demanded that Amateur athletes undergo the same medical clearance process as professionals. See below for the list of medically cleared professional and Amateur competitors for BAMMA 24.
Further to this BAMMA has also up-scaled its at-event safety protocol, increasing its onsite doctors to 4, providing 3 onsite ambulances and an extra medical room. A private arrangement has been made with a local clinic for the provision of immediate CT scans, MRIs and X-rays, on referral of a post-fight doctor. These arrangements bring the level of event medical care much closer to that required in professional boxing.
BAMMA matchmaker, Jude Samuel commented:
“It’s just as important for Amateur MMA athletes to undergo the same medical examinations and care as professional athletes. We expect the Amateurs on BAMMA shows to be at a level where they are on the pathway to becoming professional, and meeting professional medical criteria is part of this. It is helpful to us also as a promoter as it gives us more flexibility in matchmaking as athletes approach pro level and opens up more opportunities to them too.
“I would like to thank Advanced Paramedic Glenn Ellis and the Code Blue team who have enabled an elite level of medical care both in the run up to and at BAMMA 24. I would also like to thank Professor Dan Healy of Safe MMA- Ireland and Yoni from SafeMMA for their consultancy and support.”
Safe MMA – Ireland was launched by UFC athlete Aisling Daly and Professor Dan Healy in 2013. While Safe MMA now provides athlete medical clearance services to the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF), Professor Healy was recently appointed to establish IMMAF’s Medical Committee which holds its first conference in London (UK) this weekend.
SAFE MMA COMPETITORS FOR BAMMA 24
Alan Philpott Alex Masuku Andy De-Vent Brian Moore Cheick Kone Chris Fields Cian Cowley *amateur Conor Cooke Damien Rooney Daniel Konecke Declan Dalton Dylan Tuke Gary Morris Gerard Gilmore James Gallagher Jay Moogan *amateur John Phillips Lloyd Manning Mario Saeed Mark Andrew Matt Hallam Michael Cutting Mick Brennan Myles Price Nathan Jones Nathaniel Wood Nicolas Ott Paul Byrne Peter Queally Rhys McKee Sean Tobin Sinead Kavanagh Tom Duquesnoy Zarah Fairn Dos Santos
/ENDS
-For all Safe MMA enquiries contact info@safe-mma.co.uk
About Safe MMA
SAFE MMA is a not for profit organisation established to improve the safety of MMA fighters in the UK and Ireland. Under the Safe MMA banner, the medical centre provides a secure, centralised and confidential database for fighter medical records; and coordinates affordable, standardised blood and medical tests for all registered fighters. Additionally, SAFE MMA members will have access to advice from leading world experts in sports medicine.
UK promotions united to help found the project which was launched in January 2013 and agree only to use fighters that are deemed medically safe to fight under the SAFE MMA (green light) system and not to use fighters that are suspended due to injuries, such as concussion, or who are overdue for blood tests, for example. Medical data will never be transmitted to anyone but SAFE MMA will be able to give a rapid and all-hours service to inform authorised promotions of who is medically safe to fight and who needs to be rechecked, at the time of enquiry.
Safe MMA is the independent medical advisory for the United Kingdom Mixed Martial Arts Federation, Irish Amateur Pankration Association and medical services provider to the International Mixed Martial Arts Federation (IMMAF). For more about Safe MMA, go to http://www.safemma.co.uk
