Jordan Parsons, the late Bellator fighter, is the first MMA competitor to ever be publicly diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to a report Thursday in the Boston Globe.
Dr. Bennet Omalu informed the Globe of Parsons' diagnosis. Omalu is a forensic pathologist who first found CTE in a pro football player in 2003 and a pro wrestler in 2007.
CTE is a progressive degenerative brain disease found in those who have had severe or repeated blows to the head. Colloquially, it has been known as "punch drunk." CTE can only be officially diagnosed through direct tissue examination post mortem.