Global MMA governing body IMMAF and sports nutritionists and scientists at Cellular FitnessTM are launching a partnership in an MMA-first initiative to boost athlete health and performance in the world’s fastest-growing sport.
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), like all contact sports, carries a risk of injury. IMMAF has already worked relentlessly to bring in governance and regulations to improve health and safety in the sport. This new partnership with Cellular FitnessTM takes that commitment further by recognising that fighters also need to understand the crucial benefits of good hydration in lowering risk of injury and improving performance.
Cellular FitnessTM scientists and researchers have developed a nutrition protocol around the significance and gravity of the need for complete hydration for athletes. An MMA fighter, or any other athlete, who is dehydrated, has less cerebral fluid around the brain. If there is a blow to the head, there is therefore less cushioning to protect the brain from injury. Dehydration also leads to muscle fatigue, which increases the chance of physical injury too.
The partnership aims to raise awareness among MMA fighters of the need for proper hydration, to mitigate the risks involved in the sport. Dehydration has historically underpinned injury in the sport particularly through poor weight-cutting practices, which have been highlighted by IMMAF in its technical seminar programmes. IMMAF and Cellular FitnessTM want to increase awareness, coaching and guidance, to continue to improve the reputation of MMA and make it safer for athletes at all levels of the sport.
In line with IMMAF’s Anti-Doping Policy, as a signatory to the WADA code, every batch of Cell Nutrition’s products Hydrate 78, Hydrate 78 Night and Optimise is approved by quality assurance provider, Informed Sport, which independently tests for sports nutrition products for the presence of banned supplements.
IMMAF President Kerrith Brown commented: “IMMAF takes athlete health and Anti-doping education extremely seriously and therefore is proud to partner with Cell Nutrition, as a company that shares our values. We look forward to a fruitful partnership focussed on optimising athlete wellbeing and performance, as part of IMMAF’s broader development infrastructure.”
