Doctor: Hamill Fighting With Staph Infection a "Poor Medical Decision"
by Jonathan Snowden on Jun 20, 2010 7:51 PM EDT
in MMA Events
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Last night, UFC fighter Matt Hamill stepped into the cage with what looked like a living being attached to his back. It turned out to be a staph infection, a potentially dangerous bacteria that can kill. Was it wise for him to enter the cage? The Nevada State Athletic Commission apparently thought so, but MMA Junkie medical columnist Dr. Johnny Benjamin believes otherwise:
As I have written many times before, I have the utmost respect for Keith Kizer, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) executive director. Mr. Kizer did exactly what he was supposed to do when he was alerted to the suspicious rash. He ordered his medical expert to assess the situation and to advise him on the most prudent course of action.
In my opinion, the NSAC was victim of a poor medical decision. Furthermore, every athlete (including Hamill) and referee that entered the octagon – with or after Hamill – was unnecessarily exposed to a potentially very serious and deadly infection by the "licensed doctor" who cleared him to compete.
Can I be any clearer?
As a physician tasked with the responsibility of promoting player/fighter safety, deciding to allow a clearly infected athlete to compete is astonishing to me. As a doctor, if there is any significant question in your mind regarding an athlete's health, you must err on the side of caution and disallow the fighter in question. The potential risks do not outweigh the potential benefit.
The Nevada Commission has come under fire this year for a string of controversial decisions. They allowed 47-year old Evander Holyfield back in the boxing ring despite signs the fighter is losing his mental faculties. Boxing blog The Sweet Science put it bluntly:
The sanctioning of a fight between 47-year-old Evander Holyfield, who is barely capable of still winning an argument let alone a fight, and 41-year-old South African Frans "The White Buffalo’’ Botha is absurd on the face of it but coming on the heels of the NSAC allowing so well shot he’s riddled Roy Jones, Jr. to fight in Las Vegas last weekend against moderately shot Bernard Hopkins makes one thing clear – the Nevada State Athletic Commission should be disbanded.I mean, what’s the point? What are they regulating? Are they even still empowered to do anything but rubber stamp anything any promoter willing to bring two cadavers to ringside wants?
Under Marc Ratner, Nevada had the most respected athletic commission in the country. They were able to protect fighters while also allowing the freedom for promoters to create huge money events. Under Kizer's leadership it seems more and more clear that money is the main motivator. One thing is certain-Nevada owes the fighters more, and it was Kizer's responsibility to protect them. It's not just a matter of finance-with staph it can be a matter of life and death.
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This is, unfortunately, old news. The NSAC has been a joke of over 20 years.
"My hair does not need style,it keeps the world in balance and smells like the rainforest 'cause I'm so savage."-Miguel Torres via twitter
Pain don't hurt...
by RolloTomasi on Jun 20, 2010 6:59 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
UFC fighter Matt Hamill stepped into the cage with what looked like a living being attached to his back.
Quaid, start the reactor.
by Electro Boy on Jun 20, 2010 7:03 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Is that James Toney?
"It's fourth and fifteen and you're looking at a full-court press." - Lt. Frank Drebin, Police Squad
I am just shocked at the concept that “a potentially deadly bacteria” could “kill”
"The only reason I'm cryin is cuz of the adrenaline."
by Earl Montclair on Jun 20, 2010 7:04 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
On a more serious note
This situation is completely inexcusable and there should be repercussions for the doctor involved and the NSAC. It’s actually quite disturbing. They knew he had a serious infection, they knew what it was, they knew the risk and they let him fight anyway.
I’m starting to worry because now even the doctors aren’t looking out for them. A doctor, the one person who is supposed to look out for your safety and health, is completely derelict in his duty. Isn’t “I will prevent disease whenever I can” part of the Hippocratic Oath? Did this doctor just say “enjoy your staph, Keith and Herb and anyone else who comes into contact with Matt” and then laugh maniacally?
This actually makes Tito’s “cracked skull” and all his other bs possibly true.
This actually makes Tito’s "cracked skull" and all his other bs possibly true.
No it doesn’t.
"The only reason I'm cryin is cuz of the adrenaline."
by Earl Montclair on Jun 20, 2010 7:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Still highly unlikely
but you can’t count out the possibility. Tito really isn’t known for lying about his injuries, most of the stuff he has mentioned ends up being true.
"Tito really isn’t known for lying about his injuries"
Post-fight…true. Pre-fight, completely different matter.
Dude. It's Anderson Silva.
If he gives a damn he will end Sonnen’s night by either sub or KO.
-SSreporters
By Monday morning Chael Sonnen will be pissing out of his neck.
-Also SSreporters
Hahaha.
Yeah, don’t want to defend Tito but the circumstances surrounding these things maybe comes into play too. Jardine and Hamill were supposed to be the main event until like a week before the fights, right? Tito and Forrest were pushed into the main event slot after Brock was out with the stomach deal, and they both fought with injuries. Forrest with the foot and Tito with the (allegedly) cracked skull. I don’t know, maybe that’s why they let them fight.
At this point
I’m open to the possibility that these doctors are willing to risk their integrity and completely ignore their duties. If they’re willing to let a guy walk into a fight with staph, they’d let a guy walk into a fight with a cracked skull.
They let guys walk into a fight with torn tendons and ligaments, they don’t give a shit.
Either they’re being paid off or they just don’t care, either way they should have their license removed.
Yeah, that seemed over the top.
Forrest tagged him quite a few times in that fight. How could he have had a cracked skull and gotten blasted in the face multiple times?
Cracked skulls
everyone made a big deal over Concussions in the nfl a long time ago. There’s a good reason for that. Initially there may be no real observable negative effects, but after a time, memory, balance, motor skills could be effected. Tito LOOKS like he has a big ol cave man melon, but hey, he’s a human being. anything is possible. I heard about a pilot years ago that broke his neck when he ejected and didn’t know it for weeks until he got an x-ray due to his pain.
The emerging research on concussions in the nfl...
Personally, I’m convinced that will result in a severe change in the way American Football is played in the next 10 years.
Dude. It's Anderson Silva.
If he gives a damn he will end Sonnen’s night by either sub or KO.
-SSreporters
By Monday morning Chael Sonnen will be pissing out of his neck.
-Also SSreporters
C’mon-are we really quoting Dr.Johnny Benjamin here?The man who said the UFC “lynched” Kimbo Slice?You needed to quote someone who’s a doctor to make the point that fighting with a staph infection is a bad idea for all parties involved?
Obviously,the NSAC was ok with it,and if Jardine was ok with it,then who cares?It’s not like none of these guys have ever had staph before.They’re grown ass men.If they want to take the risk,let them.You’re letting them punch each other in the face until one man is knocked unconcious,but you’re worried that one of them might get a rash?C’mon now.
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1) We don’t know if Jardine was okay with it.
2) We don’t know if Herb was okay with it.
3) We don’t know if Court and Kris were okay with it.
4) Staph is not a “rash”, it’s a highly dangerous infection that can very well result in death.
Please be less retarded in the future.
by Electro Boy on Jun 20, 2010 7:41 PM EDT up reply actions 11 recs
Yeah, his point his full of holes.
I'm a lover not a fighter
by spectaa on Jun 20, 2010 7:42 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Bigger than the one in Randleman’s underarm.
by Electro Boy on Jun 20, 2010 7:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Randleman is an extreme case.So is Cole Escovedo and Mark Schultz.
These guys are exposed to staph constantly in the gym.You guys act like Hamill fighting with staph is the most outrageous thing ever.This is nothing new to any of these guys.
FWIW,Randy Couture fought Mike Van Arsdale when he was absolutley burning up with staph and was running a 100+ degree temp.There’s a pretty good story on it in his book about how he tried to cover it up going into the fight and how he hoped the doctor didn’t catch it during the pre-fight medicals.So Hamill isn’t the first and he certainly isn’t the last.
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that would be kinda unfair, they have those braces on their knees making it harder for different leg and ankle locks
SupercalifragilisticexpialiSUCKIT!
by JeremyShane on Jun 20, 2010 8:53 PM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
You're trolling, but I can't resist
Treatment and Prevention of Skin Infections in Wrestlers
A growing infection that has been spreading through out high school and college locker rooms more recently is staphylococcus infection or staph infection4. A recent problem that doctors have found with staph is that some strands have become resistant to antibiotic treatment; this is known as Methicillian Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)2, 4, 5. What was once confined to hospitals is now creeping into high school and college locker rooms around the country. Staph infection is most commonly spread though skin to skin contact but can also be transmitted through sports equipment, work out areas, and unwashed towels and uniforms2, 4. It first appears as a pimple or ant bite. The wound site will quickly grow to a painful boil that if not cared for will eventually bust open producing a bloody puss like substance that is highly contagious2. Staph is very serious and if not treated in the early stages may require hospitalization4. It is vital that weight rooms, wrestling rooms, and athletic training rooms be thoroughly sanitized if there is any suspicion of staph infection to prevent further spread2, 5. Athletes can not be permitted to engage in activity until they have been declared infection free by a doctor2.
References
1. Pennsylvania wrestling magazine: Preventing skin infections, Available at: http://www.gobanana.com/pwn/articles/preventing_skin_infections.htm. Accessed December 10, 2006.
2. Cuppett M, Walsh K: General medical conditions in the athlete, Philadelphia, 2005, Mosbey.
3. Lawton R: Skin diseases in wrestling, March 6 1999. Available at: http://blackmagic.com/wrest/reference/skininf.html. Accessed December 10, 2006.
4. (P. Higgs [GATA-LIST@yahoogroups.com], email, November 23, 2006)
5. Kowalski T J, Berbari EF, Osmon DR, MD: Epidemiology, treatment, and prevention of community-acquired methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections. Mayo foundation Med Ed Research. 2005; 80(9):1201-1208
If you fight, you fight. If you hope, you hope.
by Sabate on Jun 20, 2010 8:16 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
I’m not trolling,I just think everyone is over reacting a bit.
“OMG,he fought with staph!!”Ain’t the first time,won’t be the last.Was it a major phuck up on NSAC’s part?Yes.Is it something worth getting all riled up about?No.
Check out my MMA highlight videos!
http://www.dailymotion.com/WheelchairBandit
Ain’t the first time,won’t be the last.Was it a major phuck up on NSAC’s part?Yes.Is it something worth getting all riled up about?No.
You admit it was a major fuck up, yet you don’t want people to get riled up? Speaking out against this horrible decision is the only way that things will change. You can’t say it was a fuck up and shut up about it. You’re being no better than the AC.
'Ello G'vnor!
by IHateMMA on Jun 20, 2010 8:29 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
There are far more important things to worry about than some dude fighting with staph.These guys are exposed to it on a daily basis already.It’s bad protocol on NSAC’s part,but that’s par for the course for them.
If you want to complain about something……why in the world did they have Kim Winslow,who maybe weights 120 pounds fully cloathed with her shoes on,reffing the fight between McSweeny and Browne?One guy was 6’4 and the other was 6’7,and both guys weighted 240-250 pounds.What would have happened had she needed to physically seperate these guys?It simply wouldn’t have happened.Frigging Yves Lavinge couldn’t pull Rampage Jackson off of Wanderlei Silva,and you’re expecting a rather frail looking woman to handle two BIG heavyweights?When McSweeny was looking rather upset and wanted to get up and protest the stoppage,all she could do is wave her hand in his face for about 20 seconds.She couldn’t have held him back like Herb Dean or Tan Dan could.
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Exposed on a daily basis?
These guys must have the worst fucking gyms on earth to be exposed that often.
My academy disinfects the hell out of the mats and entire training area multiple times a day. I think we have had one staph infection in 4 or 5 years.
BOOSH
by Farthammer on Jun 20, 2010 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
It can become your normal flora
Staph aureus is considered normal flora on many people (~30%), often residing in your nose.
Once you get colonised you are going to have it for ever. You personally may never experience a problem with it, but it is certainly possible to give a large enough dose to somebody, ground into their skin while you grapple, to cause an infection.
by hardlyworking on Jun 21, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't forget...
that it’s not unheard of for something to happen with time and the promotion to have to put on a prelim fight after the main event (or even a main card bout getting pushed back to after the main event). On that note, you would have to make sure everyone on the card is fine with it.
Not to mention that people who have been in the arena before the doors are open know it’s not unheard of for fighters to go hang out in the cage for a few minutes and get a “feel” for things. Was Hamill monitored to ensure that he wasn’t in the cage prior to the fight? What steps were taken to ensure towels he used weren’t accidentally grabbed by anyone? etc…
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MMA Editor - SBNation.com
by Brent Brookhouse on Jun 21, 2010 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions
Don't want to be a dick or anything but...
2 articles on this guys staph and nothing about sengoku?
Why is TUF getting so much attention when it means nothing?
personally
I’ve been struggling with posting spoilers on Sengoku since there is no way for most American fans to see it.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
You post results before the west coast gets to see shows that are tape delayed,so what’s the difference?
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Mainstream newspapers do it too.
So it must be ok.
cwutididthar?
If you fight, you fight. If you hope, you hope.
Much appreciated
I don’t want to have to avoid BE for a week, I’m already avoiding HeadKickLegend.
Our results for Sengoku are nicely tucked away inside a spoiler free heading, so come on over!
HeadKickLegend.com
by Fraser Coffeen on Jun 20, 2010 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions
True Story
In high school I picked up staph at a tournament. I didn’t really know what it was, and it was a really mild case so I just taped it up and kept practicing. It really looked like I just had a few pimples that got their tops ripped off. Eventually I got it diagnosed, and by that time it had reached a point where it was no longer contagious. Unfortunately one of my teammates got a staph infection during that window. He went to the hospital overnight and missed out on the end of the year league tournament.
Now, what I did was irresponsible and it harmed a teammate. But ultimately I was just a kid and I didn’t know what I had. I was trying to fulfill what I had believed a wrestler always did, I wrestled through adversity. But in this case it was dumb. Wrestling through an injury is one thing, wrestling through a contagious disease is quite another. I was dumb and young.
Hamill should have known better. Just my two cents. Its not like I will never watch Hamill fight again, but I’m not going to forget this.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
so, could Hammill’s have been past the point of being contagious?
SupercalifragilisticexpialiSUCKIT!
Good point. From my understanding staph dries out when it is no longer contagious, but I’m not really sure.
"I am a man who pisses largely and frequently, which they say is a sign of great mental activity" -Henry Miller-
by Neil Manich on Jun 20, 2010 11:13 PM EDT up reply actions
More True Story
This is a photo I took of my own arm from contracting MRSA (confirmed by antibiotic susseptibility testing) from my Wing Chun school.
Thought it was a spider bite. 3 days later it swelled up like a ham, and was melting a zip-lock full of ice in about 15 minutes.
After getting cleared up with special antibiotics, I went back to school to find out that 6 other people had been laid out and gone to hospital or doctor for the same thing.
Staph is scary shit. And the strains the people are passing back and forth to each other will become more resistant over time (people who are retarded and don’t complete their antibiotic course help create “super bugs”).
The ONLY way to keep things under control is to be hardass because anything less creates a selective pressure for continued, worsening infection.
YOUR favorite fighter’s livelyhood, and life, is in danger. I know a lot of you train, or know people who do. Don’t fuck around with staph.
by hardlyworking on Jun 20, 2010 10:08 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs
PS I'm a scientist
and beyond that I work in a microbiology lab. I was able to diagnose my own infection from puss I squished out faster than the doctors (only because they screwed up the test … 2 times before getting it right).
I’m telling you all this because even somebody who knows intimately how bad this stuff can be and how it spreads can still get it, and get slammed by it.
Know you know too. And knowing is half the battle! (que pix)
by hardlyworking on Jun 20, 2010 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
You’d unstoppable if your wife was an arachnologist
by Bob Boblaw on Jun 20, 2010 10:59 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
I feel bad for Keith
I can’t believe 1) the doctor cleared him and 2) after clearing him to fight he wasn’t even required to cover the wound up.
I feel bad for Keith, not only did he lose a tough decision (possibly due to an inadvertent eye poke), but he very possibly may also have staph of the face.
Ubereem is here to kill the Finkelstein monster!
Nothing worse than a staff to the face...
Dude. It's Anderson Silva.
If he gives a damn he will end Sonnen’s night by either sub or KO.
-SSreporters
By Monday morning Chael Sonnen will be pissing out of his neck.
-Also SSreporters
Fuck the staff, Gambit needs to stick to the throwing cards.
by Bob Boblaw on Jun 21, 2010 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You went the wrong direction with my innuendo...
Dude. It's Anderson Silva.
If he gives a damn he will end Sonnen’s night by either sub or KO.
-SSreporters
By Monday morning Chael Sonnen will be pissing out of his neck.
-Also SSreporters
You made my day.
Well, anybody who knows me knows I'm no fan of dictionaries or reference books. They're elitist. Constantly telling us what is or isn't true. Or what did or didn't happen.
Eww
As a wrestling coach/ref this is not acceptable at all.
that's f___ing gross !
i wouldn’t even steped in the cage if i knew my opponent had a staff, i think all these fighting organizations should have doctors in the back checking out fighters before they enter the cage or on the day of the fight .
This is an big boy website...
you can say fuck.
Dude. It's Anderson Silva.
If he gives a damn he will end Sonnen’s night by either sub or KO.
-SSreporters
By Monday morning Chael Sonnen will be pissing out of his neck.
-Also SSreporters
no thanks.
i wouldnt step in if my opponent had a staff either, thats against the unified rules.
Isn’t your body beaten up and your immune system weakened temporarily after a fight?
Yeah, that’s a great combo to have with staph.
Not only did I get my ass kicked, but now I have to fight off an infection for a couple weeks afterward. Oh, and I can’t go near my gym or training partners either. Thanks, doc!
I managed to survive in the cage but I’m gonna die from something I can’t fight because some idiot let me fight a guy with a highly contagious infection.
(I know I’m exaggerating but that shit can happen if it gets worse and becomes immune to antibiotics.)
WTF, THEY KNEW????
Are you f’ing kidding me? They knowingly sanctioned a fight when one of the participants has an open staph infection? I was hoping it was just ignorance and that they’d put in place better screening processes going forward so that it wouldn’t happen again. But to learn that they actually knew about it and allowed it? That’s unconscionable. It’s disgusting.
And I’ll tell you something else. There would be no shame whatsoever in an opponent refusing to enter the Octagon in such a case. If Jardine were notified beforehand or even up to the point that he was about to enter, that Mark had an open, infected sore on his back, and Jardine had said “F that, I’m not fighting”, my respect for him would increase, not decrease. It would show good judgment. There’s nothing shameful about not wanting to be exposed to someone else’s nasty-ass infections. Wow, this is truly incredible.
Big step backwards for MMA in my opinion.
"Daydreams of a 'fair' world which would treat him according to his 'real worth' are the refuge of all those plagued by a lack of self-knowledge." -- Ludwig von Mises.
Mark Hamill fighting in a cage would be huge steps back
by Bob Boblaw on Jun 21, 2010 6:15 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Dude, I was a child in the 70s
You know I’ll never get that right. NEVER. No disrespect meant to Mark… I mean Matt.
"Daydreams of a 'fair' world which would treat him according to his 'real worth' are the refuge of all those plagued by a lack of self-knowledge." -- Ludwig von Mises.
Chris Lytle on Hamill's Staph Infection
I spoke with Chris Lytle, and he was surprised to learn that the mark on Hamill’s back was staph. He was even more surprised that the doctor’s didn’t “catch” the staph infection during the pre-fight medical screening.
Lytle went on to say that were he in the same position as Hamill, he too would want to fight and begin an antibiotic routine following the fight. Of course, Lytle’s told me that he’s never fought with or had a staph infection “as far as I know.” I imagine any fighter’s opinion might change depending on the severity of their staph infection.
Twitter @brettcjones
"BJ on the BE" - Kierkegaard
Disgraceful.
It’s not like it was a little scratch or something, it was immediately evident in the television broadcast and I was wondering what the hell it was. Inexcusable. This is something nobody should ever be knowingly exposed to.
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