It is not surprising that even though Julie Kedzie is no longer competing, her contributions to the sport of mixed martial arts continue. Kedzie made an unselfish decision to donate her brain to science so they can have a female brain to study for CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). This will be so beneficial for science.
There is no denying that Julie Kedzie has long been a pioneer for women’s MMA with fighting in some of the top MMA promotions like ELITE XC, Strikeforce and even the UFC. Women’s MMA is ever-evolving; even more so since she last stepped inside the cage in 2013 against Bethe Correia at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Bigfoot.
Battle Tested but Never Finished
Kedzie had some wars in her day, but luckily she was never finished by KO or TKO in her tenure inside a cage. Even though she never was knocked out, Kedzie likely saw more trauma to her head than most with how many rounds she competed in.
With any contact sport there is always a danger and a risk of one day sitting down with a doctor to discuss the diagnoses of CTE. But for concussions to be as frequent as they are in many sports today, it often seems to be taboo to discuss something very serious like CTE and even more so when it comes to the art of fighting.
To make the decision to give her brain to science like Kedzie did says a lot for who she is as a person. To let future generations of women athletes learn from her time in the cage is a sacrifice that is commendable.
It truly is hard to imagine the pain and suffering that these athletes go through after their time in the spotlight has come to an end. Athletes sacrifice so much for the sport they love, and to be left with CTE along with other physical pain and depression must be incredibly difficult.
A Pioneer Like Julie Kedzie on the Forefront
It is nice to see a pioneer like Kedzie on the forefront of studying the science of the MMA brain, to help with medical treatment of CTE. Unfortunately in MMA, the equipment is the only thing that could be altered to combat CTE.
What are your thoughts on Julie Kedzie’s decision to donate her brain to science? Let the Combat Sports UK crew know in the comments.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
