BKFC women’s flyweight champ Christine Ferea is glad to be a big part of the growth of bareknuckle boxing. While she’s enjoying being on top of the game, she also looks forward to when her days in the ring are over so she can give back to the next generation.
Ferea (8-1 BKFC) has no intentions of calling it quits any time soon. In her first fight of 2024, “Misfit” faces Jade Masson-Wong in the main event of BKFC 65 in Salt Lake City on Sept. 6. Ferea, who enters the fight on a six-fight winning streak, has really found her home in bareknuckle boxing.
Admittedly, Ferea doesn’t know where she would be today if she weren’t a fighter. She credits combat sports with saving her life, allowing her to become a “psychopath champion.” When she’s done inside the ring, she has every intention of giving back as a coach – but it won’t stop there.
Ferea says she will donate her brain for research to help scientists further analyze the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) so that it can help future generations of fighters make better decisions about their careers.
“I go to the Cleveland Clinic, they do the brain studies for fighters, and they’ve been doing it for a long time,” Ferea told MMA Junkie Radio. “… They do an MRI scan, you know those are super expensive. They tell me my cognitive, where it’s at, if I have the damage, what is being damaged, year after year. So, I do it yearly and actually, since bareknuckle, I’m going to be honest with you, my cognitive and everything has gotten better. I don’t know, maybe because I’m not taking as much hits, and I’ve got defense better.”
Ferea was scheduled to compete earlier in the year at BKFC 61 against Heather Hardy. However, the fight was scratched just days before as Hardy pulled out of the fight, citing concerns for her brain health and loss of vision after years of competing in combat sports. Hardy decided to end her career after suffering too many concussions.
When Ferea’s time is up, she will donate her brain in hopes of discovering how fighting affects the brain, especially in female fighters.
“I also want to give my brain,” Ferea said. “CTE and all that, you can’t really know until you’ve passed away, and they can open up your brain, take your brain out, and dissect it. For females, we haven’t been here (fighting) very long. So there’s not a lot of research. I’ve been doing this 20 years now and I’m the perfect candidate to see what kind of damage can be done to the female over periods of time of competition. Hopefully, it will help the future, and the girls and the men will know when to stop and what it can do to you over time.”
Ferea has been fighting since her amateur MMA days in 2012, aside from a few dust-ups during her school days. She admits she has had a few concussions over the years and probably has some brain damage, but believes nothing “severe” has occurred during her career. To her knowledge, she feels all her faculties are present and can function at total capacity.
There are still plenty of unknowns about how fighting affects the brain. The UFC has partnered with Cleveland Clinic to support research on brain trauma. Researchers are aiming to reach a point where they can identify cognitive issues before a fighter suffers a brain injury and have the analysis be a part of combat sports regulation.
“I just want to be a champion that uses their platform for the good, give back what I can,” Ferea said. “The game has given me a lot and helped set me free from a lot of demons, so that’s all I can do is give back as much as I can.”
