Abstract
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a multielement combat sport where fighters need to respond to an opponent's movements in fatiguing conditions quickly. Research on reaction times indicates that fast reaction time is important in many sports, but the effect of fatigue has shown negative, null, or even positive influences on reactions.
Few studies were conducted in a controlled setting, especially using MMA, where matches are frequently resolved in a split-second. This study investigated whether acute neuromuscular fatigue affects reaction and movement times, and their consistency in a sample (N = 45) of MMA fighters.
Before and after an upper-body Wingate test, a simple visual reaction time task was completed. Results showed a significant negative effect of fatiguing on the reaction times and their consistency, with longer reactions (1.5% change) and lower consistency (14.7% change) after the Wingate test.
Further, greater amounts of fatigue during the Wingate test seemed to affect the consistency of post-Wingate movement times negatively. Due to cumulative fatigue and the dynamic nature of MMA, our data indicate that not only do the decrements in aerobic and anaerobic power likely affect a fighter's performance, but their reaction time and motor time may also be compromised during a fight.