Jeremy - It's a complicated picture right now because the sport is still relatively young compared to boxing and the studies being conducted lack for a large and diverse enough group of subjects. But it's definitely harder on the body - Muay Thai and Wrestling take their toll on cruciate ligaments as well as bones and muscles absorbing impact. Catch/submission techniques cause a lot of hyper extension of joints as well as compressions - so breaks, fractures and tears are common. Thanks to the advances in brain scanning techniques there's now a huge controversy in the US over chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which they've discovered is rife among players of American Football and is especially damaging for younger kids. They're just beginning with fighters - boxing and MMA. Rugby will shortly follow. Padded gloves allowing for a very specific kind of repetitive blunt force trauma over a longer period of time (12 rounds) and with counts that allow a fighter to 'recover' are currently not considered any safer than 4oz grappling gloves with no counts and fewer rounds etc etc. The general debate is ongoing but the science hasn't yet settled it. Either way, dangerous sports. I remember distinctly losing my appetite for boxing after watching the Eubank Watson fight - missed the Roy Jones era completely.
