Former UFC fighter Julie Kedzie plans to donate her brain to science after experiencing CTE symptoms

Former UFC fighter Julie Kedzie has confirmed that she plans to donate her brain to science after experiencing CTE symptoms.

She may have only made two appearances in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Still, Julie Kedzie is certainly a pioneer in the world of mixed martial arts. She made her debut back in early 2004, going on to fight the likes of Shayna Baszler, Gina Carano, Miesha Tate, Germaine de Randamie and more.

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After retiring from the sport, she opted to become a matchmaker for Invicta FC. In recent times, she’s been working alongside the Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) and Dr Chris Nowinski who has done extensive research on the topic of CTE.

In a recent interview, Kedzie spoke about her aforementioned decision.

Julie Kedzie: Retired #UFC fighter pledges to donate brain to @ConcussionLF for #CTE research.
She has suffered with depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, impulsiveness and lack of sleep since retiring from mixed martial arts in 2013. https://t.co/OYAqIPR7Mt

— Chris Nowinski, Ph.D. (@ChrisNowinski1) November 15, 2023

Kedzie’s revelation

“It seems a very normal thing to do,” Kedzie tells BBC Sport.

“I’ve been hit in the head a lot so we might as well see what is in there and get some good out of it for data.

“If there is a way that I can still keep pushing in this field [of mixed martial arts] and advancing the cause of women, then yeah.”

“I want to give back to the women in this sport. Because, there are all these studies on male athletes’ brains and there might be something completely different from a female athlete’s perspective.”

“The knowledge base has grown considerably,” Kedzie said.

“As critical as I can be of the UFC, because they are the best game in town and you want any glaring mistakes to be fixed, the Performance Institute is paying more attention to studies and I think that’s great.”

Quotes via BBC Sport

What are your thoughts on the topic of CTE in combat sports? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!