With the massive swelling on Mark Hominick's forehead, should his UFC 129 "Fight of the Night" with Jose Aldo have been stopped?
As soon as I saw the enormous and rapidly expanding "alien" erupting from the forehead of Mark Hominick, I knew that my inbox would be overflowing.
In a sport as action packed and violent as MMA, there are several topics that are extremely difficult for passionate fans to navigate logically: weight-cutting, performance-enhancing drugs, flash KOs, retirement due to accumulation of trauma, and doctor stoppages, just to name a few.
I often must harness my inner fan and limit my comments to those hot-button issues that are medically related within my field of expertise.
Once again, as I have stated many times, there is a significant medical difference between injuries that are visually compelling (and even grotesque) as opposed to those that may be life, limb, neurologically (paralysis) or sensory (vision, hearing etc.) threatening.
Visually compelling injuries (many cuts/lacerations, abrasions, contusions, hematomas/bruises etc.) need to be properly inspected by properly trained and seasoned cageside medical staff, observed by vigilant referees, and managed by well-trained, experienced corner men. These injuries can provide amazing theater and crowd reaction, but when properly handled, they pose minimal risk to the affected athlete. These types of injuries are minor and do not put the fighter at a significant increased risk.
In these instances, the fight should continue.
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