Nutrition in Combat Sports

Chapter 11
Professional Athlete
Margaret Goodman and Edwin Homansky
Learning Objectives
To understand the ring physician’s role regarding the fighter’s fitness to compete;
assessment before, during, and after the bout; and determining return to
competition
To understand the scope of injuries occurring in professional boxers and mixed
martial artists
To educate the physician as to how they can improve their ringside
performance
To provide educational resources for the ringside physician
The professional combat athlete presents a multitude of issues for the ring physician
and athletic trainer not encountered in amateur competition. There is no medical
specialty that will fully prepare a physician for this task. However, working with
professional fighters can be one of the most rewarding experiences if one understands
the complexities.
When starting, many rely on the classical medical aphorism that, as long as you
care for your patient, no wrong can be done. This is not necessarily true, as many
gray areas exist. When money, fame, and even the athlete’s life can be lost in one
bout, the physician’s responsibility is immense. It is also easy to become the focal
point when all one attempted to do was to be a physician .
To effectively work with fighters, you must consider what kind of involvement
you wish to have. Do you want to simply attend the competitions and be called
upon when a fighter is knocked out? Or do you wish to fully help the athletes and
make a difference in the sport and expand your knowledge? We suggest the latter,
and, although it can be filled with controversy, these endeavors need health care
personnel that are not afraid to stand up for what will benefit the athletes, and
improve safety measures.
This section will discuss the proper approach to the professional fighter, and a
rare discussion of all that is involved to be a skilled ring physician.
R. Kordi et al. (eds.), Combat Sports Medicine, 173
DOI: 10.1007/978-1-84800-354-5_11, © Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009