Former UFC fighter Julie Kedzie will be donating her brain for research.
Kedzie, who’s 42 and from Chicago, fought twice in the UFC but competed 29 times professionally in MMA. She last competed back in 2013 and since then, says she has depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and lack of sleep, which are all signs of CTE.
With that, Julie Kedzie told the BBC that she will be donating her brain to research when he dies.
“It seems a very normal thing to do,” Kedzie tells BBC Sport. “I’ve been hit in the head a lot so we might as well see what is in there and get some good out of it for data. If there is a way that I can still keep pushing in this field [of mixed martial arts] and advancing the cause of women, then yeah.”
Retired athletes donating their brains for research has been popular in sports like football, but not so much in MMA. Julie Kedzie hopes she changes that, as well as being one of the first female MMA fighters to donate their brain
“I want to give back to the women in this sport because there are all these studies on male athletes’ brains and there might be something completely different from a female athlete’s perspective,” Kedzie said.
“I love this sport so much and I want it to be better,” Kedzie concluded. “If you stay in this sport long enough you are going to suffer. Athletes have to be protected.”
This one has taken a while to piece together, but thanks to @julesk_fighter @DuncanFrench @ChrisNowinski1 @ikeepstein @ufc @UFCPI @ClevelandClinic @ConcussionLF for helping me to shine a light on this important topic. ✍️👇 #bbcmma https://t.co/3TZaVFMwb2
— Bobbie Jackson (@Bobbie118) November 15, 2023
Julie Kedzie’s MMA career
Julie Kedzie went 16-13 as a pro including going 0-2 in the UFC. She retired on a four-fight losing streak having lost to Bethe Correia by split decision and Germaine de Randamie by split decision in her UFC debut.
Kedzie was brought into the UFC after the promotion bought Strikeforce, but she also went 0-2 in that promotion losing to Miesha Tate by submission and Alexis Davis by decision.
In her career, Julie Kedize has notable wins over Kaitlin Young, Jan Finney, and Sarah D’Alelio among others, while she started her pro MMA career in 2004.
