Latest on NSAC/Matt Hamill Controversy

Posted on June 20, 2010

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Commission Doctors Examined Matt Hamill, Said Staph Was Healing — MMA Fighting

The latest from Michael David Smith at MMAFighting.com comes from Hamill’s manager, who explained that Commission doctors determined the boil on his back wouldn’t pose a threat to any of the competitors and that it had sufficiently healed and hardened. From the article:

“The doctors and the Commission were aware and repeatedly examined the red mark on Matt’s back,” Holmes told me. “They concluded that it was healing and hardened to the point that it posed no threat to Matt or anyone else inside the Octagon.”

Now, this is going to come from a completely amateur opinion, but healing and “healed” aren’t the same, and it was obvious from watching the fight on Saturday that the wound, while not showing any noticeable draining at the time, was not closed.

I’m curious if the doctor(s) who examined Hamill could confidently say there no possibility of the wound re-opening, particularly since after the fight the wound looked even worse than it did at the weigh-ins and was clearly still infected. And, according to Hamill’s own admission, yet to be treated with anti-biotics.

Bottom line is that there’s still a lot of doubt in my mind, as well as in the mind of others, that every precaution was taken to ensure the safety of the fighters. The Commission needs to come forth on this issue, and they need to do so sooner rather than later.