Karate Combat Using Technology To Monitor Fighters' Brain Health

Karate Combat burst onto the fight sports scene this year with a series of events in exotic locales, under a unique ruleset, with innovative uses of technology to enhance the viewers’ experience as well as the fighters’ health. For example, Karate Combat’s on-screen display site shows the fighters’ heart rate during exchanges. It does not stop there, however.

For the Karate Combat: One World event in on Sept. 27 in New York City, the promotion partnered with Quadrant Biosciences to start using technology that monitor whether or not an athlete’s brain health is in jeopardy afterwards. Chrys Chysanthou, a representative from Quadrant Biosciences was at the event. Chysanthou spoke further on what they hope to bring to combat sports and other high impact sports.

“It is not good for any sport where athletes are injured to the point where they have long-term effects that cripple them for the rest of their lives,” said Chrysanthou. Quadrant Biosciences uses a test called The Clear Edge to monitor athletes and “catch concussion disorders, Parkinson’s disease, ADHD and some other things,” according to Chrysanthou.

Chrysanthou said the partnership with Karate Combat “ensures that their fighters have proper care and that every time they enter the pit they have proper care and proper cognitive function and proper stability so they are not putting themselves or their opponents at additional risk.”

With the One World event as a test run, Karate Combat has elected to continue using The Clear Edge for future events. The technology is something that can be used in other promotions in MMA and outside of combat sports. One of the arguments made against MMA’s ban being lifted in New York was from Deborah Glick, assembly member of the 66th district who wrote a post against lifting the ban on MMA in New York for The Villager and tried to paint the sport as unsafe. She cited a study that “indicates that there is a higher incidence of brain trauma in MMA than in boxing or other martial arts."

However if the technology exists that could lower or prevent those incidences MMA and other high impact sports, it could be easier to argue for acceptance if they are ever in jeopardy of being banned again.

Edward Carbajal serves as the lead MMA analyst for Frontproof Media and holds a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and a brown belt in Ishin Ryu Karate. He has covered combat sports since 2014 and has been a fan of MMA since the first UFC. You can follow Edward on Twitter @Carbazel or at his website TheBlogBoardJungle.com.