Former UFC star Roxanne Modafferi shares message about brain health awareness among young fighters: "Have an older adult looking out for them"

Roxanne Modafferi is a pioneer of women's mixed martial arts, with her career as a professional fighter spanning nearly two decades, from November 2003 to her retirement in February 2022. Thus, the 40-year-old veteran, known as 'The Happy Warrior' due to her infectious smile, has a deep well of MMA experience.

It is this wisdom that no one offered her during her early days as a fighter that she has chosen to share with a new generation of fighters. Per a screenshot shared by Erik Magraken on Twitter, Roxanne Modafferi spoke about the negative effects of a combat sports career on the brain.

She cited that, while brain growth completes itself during one's teenage years, it continues developing well into the early or mid-twenties, and with prospective fighters making their professional debuts at increasingly younger ages, the dangers of a developing brain absorbing blows to the head are worrisome.

Thus, she has advised young prospects to educate themselves on brain health and, if possible, have an older, more experienced fighter as a mentor who will guide them with their best interests at heart. As a veteran of 45 professional bouts, Roxanne Modafferi has witnessed first-hand the dangers of neglecting brain health.

CTE is one of the drawbacks of combat sports, especially those that involve blows to the head, like MMA, boxing, and kickboxing, to name a few. Several noteworthy fighters, including certain legends of the sport, have exhibited symptoms relating to CTE, like mood swings, slurred speech, and other behavioral problems.

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Has Roxanne Modafferi ever won an MMA world title in a major organization?

Despite her near-20-year tenure as an MMA fighter, during which she fought in three of the sport's major promotions—Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and the UFC—Roxanne Modafferi never became a world champion in any of them, though not for lack of trying, as she took part in three different title bouts, one in each promotion.

In 2010, she took on Sarah Kaufman, a former foe of the legendary Ronda Rousey, for the Strikeforce women's bantamweight title, losing by knockout due to a slam. Six years later, she faced Jennifer Maia for the Invicta FC flyweight title, losing via split decision.

A year later, 'The Happy Warrior' made her UFC debut when she took on Nicco Montaño for the promotion's inaugural women's flyweight championship. Despite their bout being a Fight of the Night winner, she came up short, and Montaño was awarded a unanimous decision.