The Doggy Bag: The ‘Not This Again!’ Edition

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While missing a fight may no longer cause as much financial hardship, it still affects fighters financially. Fighters only have a short time to make money to try to set themselves for the rest of their lives. Injuries can't be totally prevented, but isn't looking at the way fighters train an appropriate response to this injury plague we are having? Do training camps really have to be 10-12 weeks? Should you be rolling, sparring or grappling two weeks out? Otherwise, is this a string of extremely bad luck? -- Kris in Wisconsin

Tristen Critchfield, associate editor: When it comes to the rash of injuries that has plagued the UFC in 2012, I tend to think that we have encountered unprecedented misfortune. As a result, there has been no bigger plotline in mixed martial arts this year; the main competition for “Story of the Year,” the cancellation of UFC 151, was triggered by injury to Dan Henderson’s knee.

It would be extremely difficult to alter a training camp in order to avoid such issues, as most fighters prefer to peak as close to the event as possible. Coaches and fighters alike are constantly tweaking and tinkering with the concept of a training camp, and the length, intensity and focus can vary from fight to fight. However, simply going into safety mode two weeks out is not a cure-all. When your training involves fighting other highly skilled athletes on a weekly basis, injuries are inevitable and could conceivably occur earlier in the process.

It’s up to the individual to decide how he or she wants to prepare for an opponent. If a lighter camp proves beneficial, they’ll stay with what works. But if it results in a lackluster performance, you can be assured that the next camp will have a renewed emphasis on full-contact situations and grueling workouts. Strikeforce lightweight Josh Thomson provides us with a prime example.

Prior to his March meeting with K.J. Noons, the injury-plagued American Kickboxing Academy standout said he had lightened the load in his camp in order to stay healthy for the bout. After winning a unanimous decision over Noons in an effort that Thomson bluntly described as s---, he vowed to return his old methods. He promptly gave one of his best performances in recent years in dropping a split verdict to lightweight king Gilbert Melendez in May -- a fight many thought Thomson won.

The recently implemented health insurance policy is not to blame for the laundry list of withdrawals. If anything, we get to see more fighters competing at as close to 100 percent capacity as possible -- rather than gutting through an ailment that alters the course of a bout -- thanks to its presence. As you mentioned, most of these fighters aren’t looking for an easy out. If they don’t step in the cage, they don’t get paid, and only a few of the promotion’s alpha dogs are well off enough to be able to afford to pull out of a fight and not suffer some kind of financial hardship.

In the long run, injury prevention will have to be examined on a case-by-case basis. A more brittle competitor will have to alter his or her training methods accordingly. However, it is important to keep in mind that most professional fighters are, by trade, adrenaline junkies. Asking them to scale back anything is to go against their very nature, whether it be in sparring, grappling or any other extracurricular activities. Sometimes, fortune doesn’t favor the bold. We just have to hope the recent string of bad luck is nearing its end.

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