# MMA fighters and skin diseases infection



## fullcontact (Sep 16, 2006)

I have been training MMA for a short while now and loving it but havenøt bought a rashguard yet.

I grappled with a few other students of whom maybe half of them weren't wearing rash guards either.
This is probably why I may have been contaminated with some kind of mild skin bacteria/virus.

It is commun knowledge that wrestlers and grapplers
are more frequently contaminated with different kinds of skin diseases, of which some are incurable.

My question is, how commun is this in MMA? (among professionnal fighters. Surely these are even more exposed. 

What precautions are taken to protect fighter's health? Even if some of it isn't harmful, but just looks ugly that would also cause problems. Imagine Georges St Pierre with a lot of reddsih marks and spots all over his body...

Do doctors check fighters for this kind of stuff and it is legal to fight with that sort of thing?

I remember Dana White kicking out a TUF contestant due to a skin infection.

Thoughts, personal experience and insight is welcome:thumbsup:


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## VolcomX311 (Aug 18, 2009)

My friend got Staff last summer from rolling on sweaty mats with a cut.


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## No_Mercy (Oct 17, 2006)

This is a serious issue that happens in every gym unfortunately. At our gym we have 0 tolerance for people who don't shower or look really unkempt. The mats are cleaned after every session. Gotta watch out for cuts cuz bacteria can seep in quickly. 

But I remember this one time we were rolling and this kid had what looked like ring worm and everyone started freaking out...lolz. The head instructor took one look and said yep. Everybody go home and shower immediately! 

One guy started freaking out and ran into the bathroom and started showering cuz he was rolling with em then I realized I did too. Not cool! Luckily it didn't spread. Shit is nasty though...

Use Head & Shoulder for hair and body wash after every gym session. It has Pyrithione zinc that kills the fungi. 

Oh yah rashguards only protect your upper body. You can still get it on your hands, face, neck, legs, etc. Tell your instructor to clean the mats most importantly after every class.


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## TheGrizzlyBear (Sep 15, 2009)

Rashguards won't "protect" you anymore then a longsleve shirt...its not like they are some anti-staph magic barrier... keep your gear/clothes clean, make sure someone is cleaning the Mats daily, and make sure if you have any open cuts you keep them covered and you should be good. Some people are more likely to get staph then others, when i wrestled in highschool I got ringworm once behind my knee from not washing my knee pads regularly. I've never had staph, or gotten ringworm since, and I've been training for 3 years now...

Last september I got Impetigo on my chin, prolly from an ingrown hair that got infected but I had a lumberjack beard and didn't notice until my chin was hurting. From that point on I got rid of the beard, skin infections are gross.


also use Defence Soap products, I use them religously.


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## Spec0688 (Sep 9, 2007)

TUF seasons are notorious for having staff problems


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## ESPADA9 (Oct 13, 2006)

TheGrizzlyBear said:


> Rashguards won't "protect" you anymore then a longsleve shirt...its not like they are some anti-staph magic barrier... keep your gear/clothes clean, make sure someone is cleaning the Mats daily, and make sure if you have any open cuts you keep them covered and you should be good. Some people are more likely to get staph then others, when i wrestled in highschool I got ringworm once behind my knee from not washing my knee pads regularly. I've never had staph, or gotten ringworm since, and I've been training for 3 years now...
> 
> Last september I got Impetigo on my chin, prolly from an ingrown hair that got infected but I had a lumberjack beard and didn't notice until my chin was hurting. From that point on *I got rid of the beard*, skin infections are gross.
> 
> ...


Good call, hair traps bacteria which is why cyclists shave their legs (helps them to heal quicker after bad crashes).

Good hygiene, treating cuts and lesions immediately and a gym that has a good sanitization program are key to avoiding nasty pathogens.


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## TraMaI (Dec 10, 2007)

Rashguards don't do much to protect you bud. If you're rolling with sweaty dudes their sweat is going through that shit too, trust me. Rash guards are more to add frictions and prevent floor burns.


That being said, I bleach my mats every time I use them so I don't get that shit. Make sure the dudes you train with take a damn shower. Also, make sure you take one ASAP too, just to make sure. Treat your wounds etc like everyone else said.

Pictures of Randleman terrify me about getting staph. ugh.

*BE WARNED*


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

TraMaI said:


> Rashguards don't do much to protect you bud. If you're rolling with sweaty dudes their sweat is going through that shit too, trust me. Rash guards are more to add frictions and prevent floor burns.
> 
> 
> That being said, I bleach my mats every time I use them so I don't get that shit. Make sure the dudes you train with take a damn shower. Also, make sure you take one ASAP too, just to make sure. Treat your wounds etc like everyone else said.
> ...


holy ******* shit, I was not ready for that


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## VolcomX311 (Aug 18, 2009)

Goddang, that was nasty.


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## TraMaI (Dec 10, 2007)

I said be warned, the hell did you think I meant?


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## box (Oct 15, 2006)

It's pretty unstoppable, I got staph once while I trained taewkondo. It should almost be mandatory to shower before and after training, for everyones sake.


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## The Horticulturist (Feb 16, 2009)

ugh, it gets you when you think you'll never get it.


Jason Miller actually caught staph from being humped by Jake Shields for 25 mins, if I remember correctly...


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## rabakill (Apr 22, 2007)

TraMaI said:


> I said be warned, the hell did you think I meant?


I dunno, be warned does not necessarily preclude; he's got a giant hole in his torso.


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## fullcontact (Sep 16, 2006)

Some very nasty pictures!

Thank you for the helpful points!

So what happens if say BJ Penn catches staph infection a few days before the fight? Is he then still allowed to fight?


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## punchbag (Mar 1, 2010)

TraMaI said:


> I said be warned, the hell did you think I meant?


Looks as if Kev got shot,who'd have thought this can happen. Someone dont have a shower next time we roll i'm holding onto that RNC for a week,lol


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## The Horticulturist (Feb 16, 2009)

fullcontact said:


> Some very nasty pictures!
> 
> Thank you for the helpful points!
> 
> *So what happens if say BJ Penn catches staph infection a few days before the fight? Is he then still allowed to fight?*


It would depend on the severity, and detectability of the infection. If a doctor doesn't flag it, you can fight with it, but you can still spread it.

Like the above situation, it is possible that Jake Shields had dirty old staph before he humped Mayhem. And then that second adam's apple emerged from his neck..

That's a bad example though, as there is no proof he caught it from dry-humper Jake Shields.


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## swpthleg (Dec 31, 2006)

Damn, that's gross.


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## xeberus (Apr 23, 2007)

Another good reason to be a kick boxer :thumb02:


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

Disgusting, a couple guys in my gym got ringworm when they moved some old mats, they didn't even think about that they hadn't been washed. Shit was nasty, most gyms are pretty strict on it though and pretty good at keeping the gym clean. I would still shower right or as soon as possible after you're done in class though.


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## HitOrGetHit (Jun 29, 2009)

I trained in a place once that used some mats that looked a bit older, and I got MRSA on my leg. Its sucks. It doesn't feel good at all and it is extremely inconvenient. You can literally see it eating away at you skin everyday. Whenever I woke up, it had gotten bigger. I caught it extremely early so it didn't get too bad but if you google MRSA you will get some nasty results. I think at the worst part, the actual wound was about the size of a nickel and the swelling around it was a bit larder than a baseball. Not fun. :thumbsdown:


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

HitOrGetHit said:


> I trained in a place once that used some mats that looked a bit older, and I got MRSA on my leg. Its sucks. It doesn't feel good at all and it is extremely inconvenient. You can literally see it eating away at you skin everyday. Whenever I woke up, it had gotten bigger. I caught it extremely early so it didn't get too bad but if you google MRSA you will get some nasty results. I think at the worst part, the actual wound was about the size of a nickel and the swelling around it was a bit larder than a baseball. Not fun. :thumbsdown:


MRSA sucks man, there was a big outbreak of that stuff when I was in high school, they closed the locker rooms, weight rooms, gyms and what not for three days to clean everything. Couple guys got it, was nasty, just ugh, nasty....


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## TheGrizzlyBear (Sep 15, 2009)

TraMaI said:


> I said be warned, the hell did you think I meant?


i thought you meant be warned for the cute puppy picture attached... now im having nightmares


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## adminmma (Apr 10, 2006)

MRSA is serious serious business, my girlfriend is a professional tattoo artist and has taken classes on blood borne pathogens and infectious disease control for her industry where the guy teaching lectured on MRSA for 3 hours of the 8 hour class. ICK!

For those of you training in Canada there is a small organic soap company from Toronto coming out with a line of fighter body care/injury after care. That specifically addresses the prevention of MRSA and RingWorm for fighters and athletes. 

I met the owner at a function a little while back. We talked about how he follows MMA and how so many of our friends that train have contracted ringworm recently from poor care of equipment and personal hygiene.


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## MMA-Matt (Mar 20, 2010)

Damn, some nasty pictures there.

I think i may have gotten a rash on my toes from my gym. We do a lot of kick defense and that will usually involve contact with feet. It was only a small rash that cleared up pretty quick but still nasty. 

I'd say im pretty hygienic....always go clean to the gym, and take a shower after and I use my own gloves too. There's a cpl of questionable characters though...one guy smells. Bad B.O, not good to train with (made that mistake once only!)


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