A Former W.W.E. Wrestler Taps In Against Concussion Deniers
A former W.W.E. wrestler is speaking out about his past concussion and what he plans to do about it.
Former W.W.E. Wrestling standout Michael Bisping (20-5-1) told ESPN.com that he plans to fight concussion deniers at a fight at the O2 in London on Aug. 11.
“I am looking to go down there and see if any of these people are going to face me,” Bisping said. “I am going to go down there and see if they are going to stand on the ground and take a hit. If they are going to stand on the ground and take a hit, I’ll take a big hit first. That’s what I am going to do.”
According to research published in the May 2013 issue of the Journal of Neurotrauma, among retired wrestlers, head impact is the most common cause of concussion and the most severe injuries, but Bisping, who was a former WEC lightweight champion, said he still trains very hard.
“I’ll tell you what, I am training very hard because that’s the way I was raised, that’s the way I was blessed my whole life to be a wrestler. My father had been in the Navy, he had been shot, he had a very strong impact upon me growing up and he instilled it in me. He was very, very impactful, I mean, the amount of impact that he had upon me, he was a great impact. And he taught me the importance of being impact positive no matter what I was doing.
“He taught me not to turn my back on my opponent and that I had to stand behind him and that I had to look at him. It wasn’t about striking or hurting him and that I had to put myself in the position, I mean, the way to think about it was to make him look me in the eye and tell him, you know, this is the position that I need to be in. It was a big impact that he had upon me. And it’s not just one impact, it’s a lot of impacts that he had upon me,” he said.
Bisping has made a point to point out he hasn’t always been around the most head-patting or impact-positive people.
