Why MMA Fighters Look to CBD for Recovery

How is CBD helping MMA fighters?

Need more evidence on the effectiveness of CBD? The answers are out there. The news about CBD effects is spreading far and wide. More and more people are giving CBD a chance. Even celebrities, athletes, and other notable people in the spotlight are turning to CBD for relief from a variety of symptoms. Many would like to use CBD for healing.

The fact is that sports are an area that has largely been affected by CBD. Many athletes now recognize the benefits of using CBD in their careers. Even more, they are active users of CBD. Negating the fact that CBD oil treats various diseases, sportsmen use it to enhance their health. As we said, it actually is a part of their daily life and they use it on a daily basis. A holistic health approach is important for any sportsman, and CBD gives them that.

All you have to do is look at the anecdotal evidence. Today, you can find plenty of claims from professional athletes like Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters Bas Rutten and Nate Diaz.

People love Nate Diaz for a reason, he is ravaging when it comes to the octagon, and he credits CBD for his exceptional performance.

Want to learn more about CBD for healing, CBD oil benefits, and MMA? – Read on!

Why MMA?

If you are unfamiliar with MMA, you should first know that it stands for Mixed Martial Arts. MMA is a full-contact combat sport where professional athletes perform different techniques to beat or knock out their opponent. It is a sport that tests your limits in physical fitness and endurance. With a number of styles of wrestling, these athletes are great performers. With rigorous training regimes and exercises, MMA is a sport that is widely recognized as one of the toughest on the face of this planet.

It’s one of the most physically taxing sports on the planet. Between the intense training and bloody bouts in the arena, MMA is also one of the most physically damaging sports to the body. It is played without using any sort of protection, and some injuries can even be fatal.

Part of this is because the goal of each fight is to knock your opponent unconscious. That much damage to the brain leaves lasting effects.

Not to mention, it’s unusual to walk out of the arena without something bleeding. Intense hits to the body and face can lead to severe injury and damage. The sport is a professional one, but there is a certain level of violence that occurs in the ring.

Here’s a rundown of some of the basics of MMA.

• The sport of MMA is brutal. It’s designed to have minimal rules “to determine the most effective martial art for unarmed combat situations.” Opponents can cause severe harm and pain to each other.

• Opponents have three ways to win: by knockout, submission, or decision. They are winning by knockout means that the losing fighter is knocked unconscious.

• Each nation’s championship fight has three five-minute rounds. There is a one-minute rest between each round.

• Fighters train and use a variety of disciplines, including boxing, freestyle wrestling, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Jeet Kune Do, Muay Thai, Kyokushin Karate, Sansho, and Tae Kwon Do. Techniques from all of these sports combine to form the sport of MMA. The beauty of MMA lies in the fact that it consists of various combat styles. This presents diversity in the fighters themselves, and what is more important is that the endurance levels of these fighters are unmatchable.

What Do MMA Fighters Say About CBD? 

MMA fighters are turning to CBD for healing to help aid in their recovery. Many claims that CBD has quickened their healing time and helped them to feel better than other substances.

Let’s go through a few of the MMA fighters who have publicly spoken about their relationship with CBD.

Bas Rutten: 

Bas Rutten is a former MMA world champion. Rutten now champions CBD as an anti-inflammatory. He calls it a healthier alternative to opioids for pain management.

At one point in his career, Bas became addicted to opioids for severe, chronic pain. Of course, an athlete at his level is going to suffer from pain. However, he found that the opioids were not good for him or his body. He had to find a better solution. The toll these prescriptions took on his health was not sustainable for his life or career.

In relating his personal experience with opioids versus CBD, he writes:

“As for my own experience with CBD, it saved me a lot of trouble after I realized that I had a painkiller problem that started after my last fight in 2006. About five weeks before the fight, all my injuries came back with a vengeance. It starts with one pill, then it becomes two, four, seven, ten, and slowly but surely, you are upping the count, and before you know it, you’re taking insane amounts of painkillers.

So, my doctor told me that there is a lot of Tylenol in Vicodin, even some in Norco, and that would be bad for my liver since I take so many. My doctor told me, ‘it’s better you go to oxycontin.’ I did, and boy that stuff is horrible. Sure you feel good, but it doesn’t help with the pain after a while, and you just take it because you are hooked.

In this part he further emphasizes the fact that many painkillers out there do take the pain away. But the reality is that after a while the pain comes back, the only reason people even take those is that it can get you high. The same cannot be said about CBD as it not only treats but it doesn’t induce any sort of damage or addiction.

Thankfully, I came to that realization pretty quickly and took care of it. It wasn’t as easy as I am communicating to you right now, but that story is for another time. What I want to say is that if there would have been CBD at that time, I might have not become addicted to painkillers. I really hope that all fighters and other athletes will use CBD instead of painkillers.”

We see from Bas’s testimony that CBD was used as an alternative to painkillers. Painkillers have a wide range of negative aspects that can totally be countered by using CBD. As told in his testimony, CBD was able to actually treat his injuries, when in reality these injuries never disappeared when it came to using CBD oil.

This is one of the finest stories behind an athlete who combated addiction to painkillers. The truth is that millions of athletes undergo the same dilemma. They use painkillers but in the end, only fall victim to it.

As amazing as Rutten’s story is, he’s not the only one. Other MMA fighters have come forward with similar stories. Their bravery in sharing their experience with CBD is admirable.

By talking about how CBD helps them or explaining how CBD changed their life, they encourage other people to open their minds and become willing to try it too. This begins to eliminate the stigma and spread the news that CBD is a great option for those needing a miracle cure.

Nate Diaz:

Nate Diaz is a brave MMA fighter. He has used CBD in a public setting without an apology. This helped people to see and observe that CBD is not some shady substance to do behind closed doors.

Diaz is the current Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) contender, and he has openly vaped CBD at a press conference after a match.

To the press, he explained that CBD “helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that. So you want to get these for before and after the fights and training. It’ll make your life a better place.”

Talking about this openly showed the people watching that CBD is nothing to be ashamed of. His bravery encouraged others to understand that CBD can be a huge help to people suffering from issues of chronic pain.

At the time of the press conference, Nate risked fines and a suspension because CBD was technically a banned substance.

However, the advocacy efforts borne by Nate and other professional athletes largely pressured the World Anti-Doping Agency to finally remove CBD from the banned substances list. This was a huge accomplishment. Nate’s testimony was seen as a revelation by thousands of people. He convinced them that using CBD before and after fights helped in the entire process of getting healed. As MMA is a sport that is brutal and Nate’s testimony here has certainly raised a few eyebrows.

As of January 2018, athletes will finally be able to openly use CBD without risking their careers. This is due in part to Diaz’s openness and willingness to come forward with his CBD usage. He helped pave the way for others to follow in his footsteps and try CBD as a safer alternative to deadly painkillers.

CBD for Healing Versus Traditional Painkillers

So what’s the hype about CBD? How is it different from traditional painkillers and is it any better?

In this section, we’ll discuss the major things that set CBD apart from traditional painkillers.

Hemp plants are similar to marijuana plants, but they are not the same. They have different results and benefits. Also, hemp plants contain lower levels of THC if they contain any at all.

All of these factors combine to present CBD as a lower risk when it comes to pain killers. CBD patients tend to report fewer side effects if they experience anything negative at all.

Side Effects

While some sources report CBD may result in dry mouth, lightheadedness, or drowsiness, these inconveniences are trivial compared to the side effects that traditional painkillers cause.

For instance, acetaminophen, NSAIDs, and opioids have a range of effects that include a higher risk for stomach ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding, liver damage, addiction, and lowered life expectancy. In fact, in some cases, they can even lead to death. This is partly because opioids are highly addictive.

We do not yet fully understand the exact mechanisms for how CBD can have such wide-ranging positive effects on the body. Scientists are in a hurry to conduct more studies as word spreads that CBD is changing lives.

However, the anecdotal evidence from real users indicates CBD’s real benefits.

While scientific proof is meaningful, it’s the stories and advocacy of real athletes, doctors, and their patients that paved the way for CBD. It was their work that led CBD to no longer be a banned substance in the world of professional sports.

This will likely leave a lasting impact for years to come. If more athletes can turn to natural substances in place of prescription painkillers and potentially addictive substances, they may stay more healthy overall. There will likely be fewer cases of addiction and improvements in the industry.

Why Does CBD Work?

Because the FDA does not yet regulate CBD, not enough case studies are available. We have theories about why CBD works so well, but it is essential that we encourage further research into this matter.

For one, scientists recently discovered the endocannabinoid system. This system creates cannabinoids in the body and has special receptors for these chemicals. Oddly enough, cannabinoids are the same chemicals found in cannabis plants!

Yes, believe it or not, it seems that our bodies respond to cannabis molecules in a natural way. When we supply our bodies with additional cannabinoids through the use of CBD, we may be helping it to rejuvenate and protect its neurons.

Also, CBD does not contain THC. Because of this, it does not produce the psychoactivity that most people associate with marijuana use. However, it still has many therapeutic benefits.

In other words, you can use CBD to get the benefits of marijuana without getting high. Some people enjoy feeling high and use marijuana recreationally. However, others who may not want to participate in that are still able to enjoy marijuana’s health benefits.

As we learn more about what CBD can offer the world, we will begin to understand what MMA fighters have helped to show us. CBD may be a great natural alternative to the painkillers that are overused and abused today.

Ready to Try CBD for Yourself?

If you want to follow the example set by MMA fighters who have come out publicly to speak of their CBD experiences, you can do so today!

Because CBD is not a psychoactive substance, you do not need a prescription or special permission from a doctor. It is not illegal and it does not contain THC. In fact, it is often a product of the hemp plant. Growers breed hemp plants especially to contain low levels of THC.

If you want to try CBD, browse our wide selection of products until you find something that works for you. We sell oils, balms, tinctures, salves, and more. No matter how you want to take CBD, we probably have a product that fits what you’re looking for.

Don’t hesitate to reach out and get in touch with us if you have any questions about our products or the CBD industry in general. We are happy to help.

Disclaimer

Disclaimer: The Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act requires this disclaimer. We collected this information from various sources for the convenience of our customers. The statements made regarding these products were not evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The efficacy of these products is not confirmed by FDA-approved research. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information presented here is not meant as a substitute for information from health care practitioners. It is also not meant as an alternative to information from health care practitioners. Before using any product, you should consult your doctor and ask about the risk of interactions or complications.