Smith+Nephew and UFC to host first-of-its-kind medical education course for treatment of injuries in combat sport athletes
Healthcare professionals are invited to register for the livestream option as a courtesy
Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces the inaugural Smith+Nephew UFC Combat Sports Medicine Course to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada from February 20-21, 2025. The course will be chaired by Dr. Michael Banffy from the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles, California and features a roster of world-renowned medical experts to discuss current trends and techniques for treating combat sports injuries.
Through panel discussions and lectures, attendees will enhance their understanding of sports medicine principles and practices specific to the management, and rehabilitation of injuries in combat sports athletes. Smith+Nephew will also livestream the course in its entirety, making it available as a complimentary option for online registered attendees to view all of the sessions.
The popularity of combat sports continues to flourish globally, with hundreds of millions of individuals practicing diverse disciplines including Mixed Martial Arts, Wrestling, Boxing, Judo, Karate, and Tai-Chi among others. In the United States alone, the total number of people participating in Martial Arts grew 31% between 2010 and 2023 to reach a total of 6.6 million.1
“We are extremely proud to be able to help deliver the world’s first medical education course dedicated to combat sports in partnership with the UFC,” said Scott Schaffner, President Sports Medicine, Smith+Nephew. “With the rise in global participation for combat sports, a program designed to treat associated injuries is long overdue, and we’re excited to showcase the leading techniques, technologies and solutions to help these athletes get back to competing at the highest level.”
In addition to leading physician faculty, special guest presenters are to include:
- Chuck ‘The Iceman’ Liddell - Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion
- Max ‘Blessed’ Holloway - Former UFC Featherweight Champion and current UFC BMF Champion
- Heather Linden - Senior Director of Physical Therapy for the UFC Performance Institute
Smith+Nephew was named the Preferred Sports Medicine Technology Partner of UFC in March 2024. To learn more about the Smith+Nephew UFC Combat Sports Medicine Course and to register for the livestream option, please visit
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About Smith+Nephew
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. We exist to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 18,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global business units of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management.
Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.5 billion in 2023. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.
For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visit and follow us on , , or .
About UFC®
UFC® is the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization (MMA), with more than 700 million fans and 293 million social media followers. The organization produces more than 40 live events annually in some of the most prestigious arenas around the world while broadcasting to over 975 million TV households across more than 170 countries. UFC’s athlete roster features the world’s best MMA athletes representing more than 80 countries. The organization’s digital offerings include UFC FIGHT PASS®, one of the world’s leading streaming services for combat sports. UFC is part of TKO Group Holdings (NYSE: TKO) and is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. For more information, visit UFC.com and follow UFC at Facebook.com/UFC and @UFC on X, Snapchat, Instagram, and TikTok: @UFC.
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