BKFC champion Christine Ferea plans to donate brain for CTE research, aims to "use her platform for the good"
Christine Ferea made the fourth defense of her Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) flyweight throne with a split decision win over Jade Masson-Wong in the main event of BKFC 65 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ferea recently claimed that she would donate her brain for research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). She aims to support scientific efforts in analyzing CTE to help future fighters make more informed career choices. Speaking in an interview with MMA Radio before the fight at BKFC 65, she said:
“I go to the Cleveland Clinic, they do the brain studies for fighters, and they’ve been doing it for a long time. They do an MRI scan, you know those are super expensive. They tell me my cognitive, where it’s at, if I have the damage, what is being damaged, year after year.” [H/t: MMA Junkie]
She added:
“I also want to give my brain. CTE and all that, you can’t really know until you’ve passed away, and they can open up your brain, take your brain out, and dissect it. For females, we haven’t been here (fighting) very long. So there’s not a lot of research. I’ve been doing this 20 years now and I’m the perfect candidate to see what kind of damage can be done to the female over periods of time of competition. Hopefully, it will help the future, and the girls and the men will know when to stop and what it can do to you over time.”
A veteran of the fight game, Ferea ventured into bare-knuckle fighting in 2018 against Jennifer Tate and won the fight by TKO. She has amassed a 9-1 record in the promotion with notable wins over Bec Rawlins and Britain Hart.
Christine Ferea reacts to her win over Jade Masson-Wong at BKFC 65
Christine Ferea successfully defended her BKFC women's flyweight championship for the fourth time by narrowly defeating Jade Masson-Wong by split decision (49-46, 49-46, and 46-49).
This victory extends her winning streak to seven, the longest among female fighters in BKFC history. Reflecting on the fight, she expressed gratitude to BKFC and her supporters, promising a better performance in future bouts. Speaking in the post-fight interview, she said:
“We both came out here and put it on the line. She did her best, I did my best. I’m sorry, guys – my next performance will be better. Thank you to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, David Feldman, and all of my sponsors – I appreciate you guys for giving me this opportunity.” [H/t: bkfc.com]