By: Emma Lu

While the popularity of youth cage-fighting is on the rise, some people are concerned about the ethics of the sport and the long-term impact of injuries.

The sport of youth cage-fighting consists of two children fighting each other in cages, and there is a high risk of dangerous injuries occurring. Many people are concerned about the neurological injuries that children might sustain, which can have bad consequences for the children and the people around them. That is why some people say that people under 25 should not wrestle at all because before that age, the brain is still developing. Because of this, a few rules have been made, with hits to the head being banned and the fighters having to wear headgear and other protective gear. “This is the hardest tournament in the world to run,” said Frank, one of the people running the youth MMA organizations.

The rules added have made youth cage fighting safer, though many people still perceive it as a dangerous, violent, and bloody sport. Many young people find enjoyment and prestige in the sport, and it can steer children towards professional boxing which is more suited for adult fighters. Still, because the sport kind of resembles boxing, it has been slow to gain widespread acceptance, because many people do not like fighting sports. “This is different than contact sports. This is combat sports. Everything you’re doing is magnified, and that’s especially true for children,” said Nitin Sethi, the chief medical officer of the New York Athletic

Commission.

The youth version of the sport tries to distance itself from the professional version, as some of those fights get nasty.