\u201cIt\u2019s not just a bunch of angry meatheads who are trying to knock each other out. It\u2019s an environment of very cool, calm, collected people who love competition,\u201d says Austin Gallego, head coach of Muay Thai, boxing, and all striking sports at Mamute MMA Academy in Oshawa. \u201cI would say education and trying it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Head injuries are common in the sport. A sports medicine study<\/a> conducted by the American Orthopaedic society for Sports Medicine reported that 28-46 per cent of MMA fights end in \u201cknock-out or technical knock-out\u201d with 12.7 per cent ending by knock-out. The study also found 27 per cent of injuries in MMA were fractures.<\/p>\n However, there are ways to work around the injuries. <\/p>\n Dr. Terry De Freitas is a Canadian Academy of Sport and Exercise Medicine (CASEM) board member and worked in combat sports for 26 years, including the Olympics.<\/p>\n She suggests MMA can be a part of the Olympics if it becomes regulated like boxing. However, boxing has been banned from the Olympics and was only recently been added back<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s based on their federation regulations and how well they regulate the sport. I think MMA is moving towards better regulations for youth, athletes and junior athletes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n De Freitas also says injuries can also be minimized by reducing the number of rounds, as they are in boxing.<\/p>\n \u201cThey have one match, three rounds, a day off, another match, three rounds,\u201d she explains. \u201cIt\u2019s not a 10-round fight, it\u2019s only three rounds. So that would probably be necessary to make it into a tournament style for Olympics.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Selvanesan_MMA_02-1080x983.jpg\")
<\/a>Katie Burghout and Cameron De Pasquali, students of the Mamute MMA Academy pose inside the ring. Photo credit: Thiveha Selvanesan<\/p>\n