Tragedy strikes mixed martial arts (MMA) in many ways, especially when it comes to former Bellator featherweight Jordan Parsons, who died in a hit-and-run incident this past May at the age of 25. It now seems as if more bad, yet informative, news is being drawn from Parson's unexpected passing, as Boston Globe reports the young fighter had already been suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease directly associated with countless blows to the head.
According to the report, forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu, who has been at the forefront of CTE discovery in NFL players and professional wrestlers for years, determined that Parsons was suffering from CTE prior to his death earlier this year.