What caused former UFC star Spencer Fisher's permanent disability?
Spencer Fisher is a former UFC lightweight fighter who has reportedly been suffering symptoms that may lead to a future diagnosis of CTE. The injuries caused by fighting for over a decade appear to have taken their toll on the UFC veteran.
Earlier this year, MMA Fighting did a piece detailing the tragic circumstances Spencer Fisher is going through. Fisher's family consists of his wife Emily (a former MMA fighter) and his three children. The fighter has stated that he often forgets the names of his loved ones due to his condition.
After quitting his fighting gig at the UFC, 'The King' was on the promotions payroll as a part of the "PR and media services" team. The contract was for a tenure of three years and paid $5,000 per month to cover Spencer Fisher's medical bills.
However, the fighter's contract was not renewed following the company's buyout in 2016. Spencer Fisher has now been declared permanently disabled and unable to work:
"I ended up going for a physical and they found lesions in my brain which led to further studies and I found out I have dementia."
"I forget where I'm going; depression. Dizzy spells, calling people different names not knowing their actual names. My kids, I've had instances in the past that I couldn't think of their name on the spot. I have a hard time remembering what I did yesterday and last week's complete blur. My long-term memory is okay but my short-term memory is gone."
The former fighter has advised young up-and-coming prospects to look after themselves and evade any sort of brain trauma. The fighter has also warned rising prospects against getting lured by the money and incentives that fighting may provide:
"They didn't know what it was right away... then they found the proteins for dementia... I just don't want anybody else to go through the same thing... my message is to tell people that hey this is a possibility, this could happen to you and it's very real."
Spencer Fisher's UFC rival sets up a fundraiser for the UFC vet
Sam Stout, who had one of the most iconic trilogies in UFC history against Fisher, has recently launched a GoFundMe campaign for him. The goal was to raise $2,000 to help Fisher with his expenses. Generous donations amounting to $5,670 have been pouring in after the recent news of Spencer Fisher's health broke out.
Earlier this year, it was reported that the UFC will be donating $1,000,000 to fund brain research in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic’s Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. The objective of the project is to understand the implications and long-term effects of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE).