Safety supersedes everything else
Boxing, martial arts combatants in need of an external protective structure
Tragedies like the death of Tim Hague are sobering reminders about the grim realities of combat sports that we seldom want to discuss.
A veteran mixed martial artist — whose 34 career bouts included five appearances inside the UFC Octagon — Hague succumbed Sunday to injuries sustained during a boxing match against former Edmonton Eskimos defensive lineman Adam Braidwood on Friday night. In a statement posted on Facebook, Hague’s sister, Jackie Neil, said he passed away “surrounded by family, listening to his favourite songs.” He was 34. On Monday afternoon, the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission (ECSC) released a statement about the tragic events, announcing it will partner with the City of Edmonton to conduct a “comprehensive review of the incident.”
The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premier organization in mixed martial arts, are scheduled to hold a pay-per-view event (UFC 216) at Rogers Place in Edmonton on Saturday, September 9. As of this writing, a request for comment on this weekend’s tragic events and any impact it may have on the organization’s plans has yet to be returned.
No one ever expects the worst to happen because in almost every instance it does not. But when it does, there is a struggle to address the issues that contributed to a catastrophe in a manner that, instead of casting blame, focuses instead on ensuring every precaution is taken in the future to make sure a tragedy like this never happens again.
Difficult as it may be, that’s the conversation that needs to happen now.
Athletes are always going to want to compete; it’s something hardwired and near impossible to shut off, which is why you see fighters protesting valid stoppages and continuing to step into the ring or cage, even when doing so may not be in their best interest.
The unwavering belief that helped them reach the apex of their careers is also what keeps them steadfast in their conviction that a string of losses or nasty setbacks is just a bump in the road, that a winning streak is right around the corner.
It’s why they often see opportunity where others see danger; why the short-notice fight against a tough opponent is just the fight they need to prove themselves and not the one to avoid.
In theory, that’s where friends and family, teammates and coaches, should step in, but it’s far more difficult to do that in real life than it is to suggest it in print or on social media.
Everyone involved in an athlete’s life knows the sacrifices that have been made — the blood, sweat and tears that have been invested in a career — and no one wants to be the one who says, “I don’t think you can do it” or “I think you’ve had enough.”
But that needs to happen more often. Whether it’s before, during or after a fight, somebody needs to protect these athletes in instances where they can’t or won’t protect themselves.
The same applies to the promoters and athletic commissions organizing and responsible for these events.
Fighter safety has to be paramount to everything else and extreme care needs to be taken in all cases to ensure athletes are fit to compete. That means clear guidelines for medical checks and strict adherence to rules and regulations, including honouring suspensions handed down in other jurisdictions.
It also means using some good old-fashioned common sense and erring on the side of caution in situations where all the checks and balances may be in place, but things still don’t feel right.
Regardless of the fact that fights have been announced and tickets have been sold — and that competitors have invested their time, money and energy into preparing to step into the ring or cage — the safety of the athletes set to compete has to come first. The show does not have to go on. These are systemic issues that are difficult to address and resolve — issues that have been woven into the fabric of combat sports — but they need to be discussed and changes have to come.
What happened over the weekend in Edmonton is a tragedy and the pain of Tim Hague’s passing is going to reverberate throughout the combat sports community for quite some time. The system failed. We have to fix it.