They Don’t Care About Athlete Safety!

Let me start this by making one thing very clear: Actions speak louder than words and it is blatantly clear that various stakeholders do not care about the safety of fighters!!

Now let me explain.

The recent series of events involving MMA athlete Tapiwa Katikati appears to be just the tip of the iceberg, as this writer is in possession of messages, documents and letters that show an egregious disregard for the health and, quite possibly, the lives of our MMA athletes.

Many fans will recall Katikati’s KO loss to Adrian Sanchez at 3:14 of the first round in their bout at EFC 111 on March 7^th of this year. Following on that loss, Katikati was given a 7-day medical suspension prompting him to be signed to fight again on April 11 at EFC 112 where he suffered a 2^nd round TKO loss at the hands of Ken Sekeletu. After that loss, he was again given a 7-day medical suspension (by the same doctor???) allowing him to be signed to fight on this past weekend’s UAE Warriors 49 card where he again suffered a 1^st round TKO loss. To further contextualise, in the last year or so, Katikati has suffered four (4) KO/TKO losses along with a guillotine choke with loss of consciousness (LOC) and yet the longest break following on any of those losses has been exactly three (3) months!

Now, for those that suffer from any form of mathematics malady or who are prone to only remember regulations when it suits, let me break this down even further for you.

• The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (“ABC”) have the position that no fighter should box for a minimum of 60 days following a knockout loss.
• The WBC regulations specify; Clause 4.21 Rest Periods after Knockout: Boxers that suffered concussion or any other serious head trauma or injury by knockout should not participate in sparring sessions for a minimum of 45 days, and no less than 30 days after any other concussive trauma, including but not limited to knockout.  Clause 4.22 Suspension after Knockouts: A boxer suffering a knockout should be suspended for sixty (60) days. A boxer suffering two (2) consecutive knockouts should be suspended for one hundred twenty (120) days. A boxer suffering three (3) consecutive knockouts should be suspended for one hundred eighty (180) day, during which his license should be revoked and confiscated, pending special thorough medical examinations, after which other necessary medical measures might be taken. 
• The Association of Ringside Physicians Concussion Management and Return to Play Guidelines for Combat Sports Athletes states; If a combat sports athlete sustains a TKO secondary to blows to the head, it is recommended that he or she be suspended from competition for a minimum of 30 days. It is also recommended that the fighter refrain from sparring for 30 days as well. If a combat sports athlete sustains a KO without LOC secondary to blows to the head, it is recommended that he or she be suspended from competition for a minimum of 60 days. It is also recommended that the fighter refrain from sparring for 60 days as well. If a combat sports athlete sustains a KO with LOC secondary to blows to the head, it is recommended that he or she be suspended from competition for a minimum of 90 days. It is also recommended that the fighter refrain from sparring for 90 days as well.
• And for all you casuals out there that feel that MMA and Boxing KO’s/TKO’s are different, the latest IMMAF medical suspension guidelines state that a TKO (with strikes to the head) requires a mandatory suspension without contact and 45 days suspension before competition. For a KO, the mandatory suspension is 45 days before contact and 60 days before competition.

Now here is where the mathematics kicks in. If the general consesus is that there should be a minimum of 45 days medical suspension WITHOUT contact following a KO loss, why then was Katikati, firstly, only given a 7-day suspension and secondly, why was he allowed to compete at EFC 112 a mere 35 days after that KO loss (which appears to be with LOC) at EFC 111?

So here are a few more questions for all those who actually give a damn about the welfare of our MMA athletes;

1. Who was the doctor that signed off on the 7-day medical suspension at EFC 111 on March 7th and then again on April 11th? I know his name!
2. Why did that doctor deliberately disregard the general consensus in combat sports regarding KO’s? Do SA physicians know something that the rest of the world has missed?
3. Who was the MMASA representative that approved the bout on April 11 despite being cage-side and witnessing the KO on March 7^th? We all know his name!
4. Why was Katikati even considered for a fight on the April card by the EFC matchmakers following his KO 35 days earlier? Why too, did the UAE Warriors matchmaker consider Katikati for the May card?
5. Why did Katikati’s team agree to sign for a fight following that KO in March and then agree to continue with fight preparation for the May fight in Abu Dhabi?
6. Why is there clearly no adherence to any medical suspension protocols, let alone common sense, by all the stakeholders mentioned above?
7. Are there even any official, documented medical protocols available for scrutiny?
8. Why do we have a governing body when they clearly are not doing what they are mandated to do?

Let the unpack begin…….

In unpacking the raft of medical issues that have been questioned above, it is quite clear that;

• There are no official, documented medical protocols that are being consistently applied by medical staff under the guidance of MMASA. A quick look at their rather outdated website will confirm this as it still references the 2017 IMMAF Rules and indicates Bertus Coetzee as the “current” MMA SA President!
• It is clear that the protocols put in place by Dr Santa Marie Venter, who was the EFC medical doctor from 2010-2014, have been disregarded. Her co-authored original research on the risk factors predicting injury and the severity of injuries was published in the SA Journal of Sports Medicine in 2017 and is available online or I have a copy if you are interested in learning more.
• It is also a documented fact that the medical protocols that were devised, at the request of MMASA, by Dr Danella Eliasov have also been disregarded (you can watch my 2021 and 2022 discussions with Dr Eliasov at https://www.ruckusmedia.co.za/qtvideo/dr-danella-eliasov/ and https://www.ruckusmedia.co.za/qtvideo/tokenism-and-safety/ respectively).
• Add to that, my recent conversation with the General Secretary of the Medical Commission of South Africa – Gavin Kruger – who advises that he has on at least three (3) separate occasions sent written communication to MMASA regarding his concerns about athlete safety. To which, I might add, he has received no responses at the time of publishing. This writer is currently in possession of the most recent two (2) letters, the first of which – dated 2 March 2023 – was also sent to the Africa MMA Confederation, SASCOC as well as IMMAF, while the most recent letter was dated 13 May 2024. No responses have been received to date!
• According to messages in this writer’s possession, the current medical protocol in use by the EFC is the “SWAY Concussion Management Technology”. In essence, the “SWAY Balance System is an FDA-cleared Class II technology used by many doctors and athletic trainers to conduct concussion assessments and make return-to play-decisions”. Balance screenings are administered through an app on a mobile device, either cage-side or in the back after a fight, requiring a concussion specialist to read and provide prompt data interpretation and treatment next-steps to the athlete. I don’t even want to begin to unpack the raft of concerns and questions that are floating around my head at this time!  Indications from at least two athletes who have fought on recent cards indicate that this protocol is not being applied consistently.
• Further to my discussion with Gavin Kruger, it appears that there is a major gap between the protocols used by the medical community and those that should be applied by combat sports and in particular, MMASA. For anyone who would like further insight into this, please do me a favour and watch the handling of any fighter who is KOed in the EFC and in particular the recent KO of Rayo Sanchez at EFC 113. Take special note of the medical staff who allow Sanchez to stand-up and walk towards the cage! To add salt to this clearly festering wound, Kruger further states that the EFC medical doctors have only recently reached out to enquire about the correct medical protocols to use! WTAF!!!!!
• Coming back to one of my above questions, what were the criteria used by the doctor in question to determine that a KOed athlete only needed a 7-day suspension? Which finger did he put in the air and in what direction was the wind blowing on the night? Do our “sports event” doctors not read or have they not heard of the Association of Ringside Physicians?
• Finally on the medical protocol concerns, this is an extract from the 2023 letter addressed to MMASA, SASCOC, IMMAF and the Africa MMA Confederation by Gavin Kruger; “I have in my possession sufficient evidence to show just from the latest events, that there is indeed non-compliance by the Federation, of the standard required for medical care of the athletes in the Sport of MMA”. I too, am in possession of some of this proof which also implicates MMASA in gross negligence at amateur level where paramedics are signing off medicals instead of doctors (as stipulated on the pre and post-bout medical forms) and MMASA officials are failing to adequately complete fight outcome information – KO/TKO, Points or Submission – meaning that there is no record whatsoever of athletes who may have potentially suffered concussions in competition!

As for the rest of my questions, let’s categorise them under common sense and unpack why it is clear that it is not all that common especially with regards to current athlete safety!

• Why did the EFC even consider Katikati for a fight in April, and worse still, allow him to fight 35 days after being KOed? Was this because the doctor only gave him a 7-day suspension? Surely the EFC – who prides themselves on benchmarking against the best promotion in the world – knows better, especially considering that at one point in time they were offering all athletes access to comprehensive medical treatment after their fights courtesy of Constantia Insurance.
• Why too did UAE Warriors reach out and sign a fighter who had been finished so decisevely in the preceeding two months? Are these matchmakers not aware of what is taking place with fighters or is this simply a transaction; money for your future well-being (your life)!?

Unfortunately I have come to believe it to be the latter. Despite posting about it and reaching out to UAE Warriors via social media, they did not respond and in fact, it appears they attempted to cover-up the fact that Katikati would still be fighting when they posted the “Africa Team” on May 15^th. As is clear for all to see in the image below, there is no Katikati present on this image.

• Having been cage-side on March 7^th, why did both the (interim) MMASA President and MMASA Administrator sign-off on the card and then at the weigh-ins on April 10^th, still allow this fight to continue? It makes one wonder if this is just a rubber-stamping exercise and not one of due diligence!
• Why are gyms and coaches taking athlete KO’s so lightly? Are they just content to live vicariously through their athletes or is this simply a lack of education on the subject of concussive and sub-concussive blows (repeated head injuries) ultimately leading to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)? 
• Finally, why does it take MMASA so long to act when regulating fighter safety is one of the very reasons that justify their existence? Up until this writer’s post on May 8, MMASA saw nothing wrong with Katikati competing on the UAE Warriors 49 card and in fact only issued a “Suspension Clearance” letter four days later. This raises further questions as to why now? Where was this concern ahead of EFC 112? Is this based on medical protocols or is this simply because someone has pointed it out? Add to that, this writer is also reliably informed that MMASA were also messaged prior to EFC 112 by another interested party, who enquired about his “fitness” to fight following the March KO, and to date the only response has been that; he was cleared to fight because the doctor remembers “vividly” that Katikati did not have a concussion!?

From the above it is quite clear that there is a dire need to overhaul the medical protocols regarding medical suspensions in combat sports. The fact that Katikati still fought on the UAE Warriors 49 card, in violation of the MMASA “non-clearance” letter means that there will be some form of disciplinary on his return. Katikati will no doubt be suspended for some time – something he desperately needs – and hopefully this disciplinary process will shed more light on the gross ineptitude of many of the stakeholders. I am pleased to see that despite yet another TKO loss, Katikati appeared to take no “serious” damage even though he ate a number of clean elbows and punches to the head before the referee stopped the bout.

In closing, have we forgotten about Booto Guylain? Have we not learned from the tragedies of the likes of Simiso Buthelezi and Ardi Ndembo and more recently, the death of British boxer, Sherif Lawal, who was knocked down by a blow to the head from Malam Varela in the fourth round of his debut middleweight fight on Sunday, May 12^th?

It is clear that our part-time MMA Administrators feel that they know better than the multitude of long-standing sports bodies and organisations that prescribe minimum medical suspension frameworks for compromised athletes and we need to start doing something about it. This article is my first shot across the bow. I am only beginning to start a Ruckus!!!