Mood Changes in Response to Fighting Among Mixed Martial Arts Fighters; A Pre and Post-Fight Analysis

Background: Understanding mood changes before and after a fight is crucial for optimizing performance and ensuring fighters' mental well-being. This study aimed to analyze mood changes among Pakistani mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters in a pre-and post-fight context, exploring the psychophysiological underpinnings of these shifts and their implications for the fighters' mental health and performance. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted among 50 healthy male MMA fighters, aged between 10 and 30 years, from various ethnic backgrounds, who were engaged in a daily routine of 90 minutes of MMA fighting. Mood analysis was carried out using the Brunel Mood Scale (BRUMS) questionnaire, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire pre- and post-fight. Results: The psychological variations were observed, and significant differences were noted in the scores for anger (P-value=0.012), tension (P-value=0.001), vigor (P-value=0.000), confusion (P-value=0.014), and overall BRUMS score (P-value=0.029) in the winners while only vigor (P-value=0.000) was significantly increased among the individuals who lost the fight. The mean STAI score decreased significantly among both winners and losers (Pvalue= 0.002 and 0.004, respectively). Further, the mean POMS score decreased among winners while it drastically increased for the losers but insignificantly. Conclusion: The study revealed that MMA fighters experience significant psychological changes post-fight, with winners showing reduced anger, tension, and confusion, and a marked decrease in anxiety and vigor. In contrast, losers primarily exhibited a significant drop in vigor and increase confusion and TMD scores, indicating a more negative psychological impact.