Standardized Post-Bout Ringside Concussion Screening in Combat Sports

Summary

An evidence review describing the development of a structured post-bout concussion examination for combat sports.

What the work reports

• The work reviews published evidence on ringside and sideline concussion screening and uses it to develop RACE1, a structured examination carried out after a bout.
• The source states that a multidomain post-bout screen can standardize what is recorded at ringside, and that a normal screen cannot rule out a concussion.
• The source states that RACE1 is used only after the bout and never clears a fighter or permits a same-day return.

Limits to keep in mind

• Preprint. It has not been peer reviewed.
• The source states that the RACE1 items and score bands are provisional and have not been validated in any sport.
• FMRI does not reproduce the instrument. RACE1 is not offered here as a medical-clearance tool.

Publication status

Preprint, not peer reviewed. The publisher’s record labels the work a preprint released to seek co-authors and peer review before journal submission.

Instrument status: Not validated, as stated in the source.

No correction or retraction notice was found in Crossref or Scite when this record was checked.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright 2026 Sears Publishing Company. All rights reserved. FMRI links to the work and does not reproduce its text, abstract, tables, figures or assessment cards. Publisher's rights statement.

FMRI’s role

None. This work was written and published independently of FMRI. FMRI lists it and describes it in its own words.

The source record states that the author developed the RACE1 protocol, that the author founded the company that distributes the preprint, and that the work received no funding.

Related research priority

Standardized post-bout head injury assessment