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There have been several articles and opinions on the Matt Hamill fight at The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale – So here’s one more. We have all heard about “staph” staphylococcus Aureus infections. The good news is not all staph is the resistant type which may not respond well to antibiotics. It’s also good news that there are still options when it comes to antibiotics for the resistant strain. I believe the issue at hand is not whether Matt Hamill had an infection or not- My issue is; why was the fight on the card?
With all that we know about the dangers of this particular infection, why put fighters in harm’s way? The physician’s rule #1 is Do No Harm. High school and collegiate wrestling teams have had to grapple with contagion such as ringworm, impetigo, and herpes. These unpleasant infections haven’t had nearly the negative effects felt by viscous varieties of Staph infections- which have left students dead. These infections spread like wildfire amongst competitors and teammates alike, making the decision to let Hamill fight irresponsible. At American Top Team NY, I would much rather have one of my fighters aggravated with me and be able to fight at a later date than risk further injury.
This is in NO WAY a criticism of Mr. Hamill, who did exactly what was asked and expected to do. In one article the Nevada commission stated the lesion felt “hard”. What exactly does that mean?!? A hard surface is just that- hard on the surface. But, it could still be loculated, or have a “pus pocket” underneath waiting to burst. The amount of trauma sustained in an MMA match is second to none. What if he was slammed into the cage? Why wasn’t he already on antibiotics? They aren’t performance enhancers, they are for infections, therefore shouldn’t be considered a banned substance. MMA already is a soap box topic for struggling politicians trying to make a name for themselves, so why give them any further reason to condemn this sport!!!
John Ventrudo, M.D. completed a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Residency at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center. He furthered his training at NYU completing a subspecialty Fellowship in Pain Management, Electrodiagnostics and Musculoskeletal Medicine. He is the Medical Director at NY Maritime College for Varsity Sports, a member of American top Team NY Mixed Martial Arts and registered with NY Metro Boxing Association as a ringside physician.
