Syracuse, NY – Mixed martial arts is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.  The violent combat event combines several different striking and grappling styles including boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, karate, jiu-jitsu, and muay thai.

As MMA has increased in popularity a different demographic has gotten involved in the sport: women. But due to its violent nature, New York is one seven states to ban competitive prize fights.

Female Exposure

While both men and women can’t compete in New York state, they do have other options such as traveling to neighboring states such as Pennsylvania or competing in sports such as boxing and wrestling.

Both men and women in NY state are forced to turn to other options for competition such as boxing

Female fighters will tell you they just want an equal opportunity to showcase their skills. Currently there are over 1,000 women signed up on the Fightergirls.com database and several organizations dedicated to women’s MMA have opened up across the country.

“Girls want to prove they are just as tough as guys are,” said MMA fighter Amanda Head. “We have to prove ourselves that we can hang with the boys. The guys are always bigger, heavier, stronger, tougher.”

“I think the hardest part for me was overcoming having to be so close to other adult males,” added scientist Kim Benedict. “It took a level of self-confidence and a level of comfort in myself and my own body to be able to just put myself out there like that.”

Violence and Medical Concerns

The violent nature of mixed martial arts can create cause many medical concerns. Even though a fighter might appear to come out of a battle unscathed, consistent blows to the head and body can cause long-term issues such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

“Is there a price that your going to pay that’s going to hurt you later,” questioned Cicero High School athletic trainer Bill Brown. “Oh without question.”

“It’s getting punched hundreds of times in the head that’s bad for you,” added ringside doctor August Buerkle. “But getting punched in the gut over and over will take stars right out of you.

Participants in MMA insist the sport is safe.

“You’re in a controlled setting, you have a referee, so it’s just the two fighters and the referee is on you the whole time,” said former MMA fighter Kim Andrello. “If at any point the referee thinks that’s enough, he’ll stop it. So it’s very controlled.”