Sean Strickland believes boxing leads to more brain damage than MMA

Former UFC champion Sean Strickland believes boxing leads to more brain damage than mixed martial arts.

The conversation of brain damage, and in particular CTE, has been running rampant in combat sports for a long time now. From boxing to mixed martial arts and beyond, the study of CTE is pretty fascinating. It’s even extended to professional wrestling, showing just how widespread the issue has become.

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Someone who has both taken and given out a lot of damage over the years is Sean Strickland. As we know, the former middleweight king is pretty outspoken in his views, and unsurprisingly, he wasn’t willing to hold back when discussing this matter on social media.

In particular, he focused on the comparisons made between boxing and mixed martial arts.

Boxers and MMA fighters always argue which sport takes more brain damage lol…

Two autistic people competing to be less autistic lol!!

But as a man who trains at a high level in both Boxing takes way way way way way way more brain damage

— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) October 7, 2024

Strickland’s view

“Boxers and MMA fighters always argue which sport takes more brain damage lol. Two autistic people competing to be less autistic lol! But as a man who trains at a high level in both, boxing takes way way way way way way more brain damage.”

This tends to be the popular opinion for many when the two are compared. Firstly, boxing is a lot more head-based when it comes to targeting shots. In addition to that, the knockdown rule, which gives boxers the chance to return to their feet before the 10-count, means they often sustain more damage throughout the course of an entire fight.

Either way, it’s an issue that needs to be examined more closely as time goes on.

What do you make of these comments made by Sean Strickland? Is there more that can be done to protect the welfare of fighters in both boxing and MMA? Let us know your thoughts, BJPENN Nation!