14/08/2026
💯
The combat sports world lost Prichard Colón today at only 33 years old.
For anyone unfamiliar with his story, Colón was a promising professional boxer whose life changed forever after a 2015 fight in which he suffered repeated blows to the back of the head. He later collapsed, underwent emergency brain surgery, and spent months in a coma. He never returned to the life he had before that night.
His story should remind everyone why rules and fighter safety matter so much in combat sports.
Whenever I post something involving an illegal slam in jiu-jitsu or a referee stopping a dangerous situation, there are always people saying things like, “That wouldn’t work in a street fight.”
Of course it wouldn’t.
That’s the point.
A combat sport is not a street fight.
People are supposed to compete, test themselves, and go home afterward.
Fighters already accept tremendous risks every time they compete. They deal with injuries, concussions, broken bones, cuts, and years of wear on their bodies.
The rules exist to reduce risks that don’t need to be there.
That’s why referees have such an enormous responsibility.
We’ve recently heard Alex Pereira criticize Herb Dean over what he believed were illegal strikes to the back of his head. Regardless of where you stand on that particular situation, the discussion itself matters.
A fighter is focused on fighting.
The referee has to be focused on protecting both fighters and enforcing the rules.
The same principle applies in jiu-jitsu.
If slams are illegal under a ruleset, they’re illegal for a reason.
If certain techniques are prohibited for children or lower belts, there’s usually a safety reason behind it.
Combat sports will never be completely safe.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue trying to make them safer.
Prichard Colón’s story is a tragic reminder of how serious the consequences can become when something goes wrong.
Rest in peace, Prichard.
What do you think? Are combat sports doing enough today to protect athletes?