Body Composition and Aerobic Capacity in Combat Sports Athletes: A Gender Comparison and an Investigation of The Relationship

The aim of this study is to compare aerobic capacity and body composition variables ac-cording to gender in combat sports athletes and to examine the relationship between body composition and VO₂max. The study included 72 active combat sports athletes (kickbox-ing, Muay Thai, boxing) from the province of Mersin, comprising 37 women and 35 men. Participants underwent anthropometric measurements and the Yo-Yo endurance test. Men’s VO₂max values (53.12 ± 6.34 ml/kg/min) were found to be significantly higher than women’s (41.57 ± 1.17 ml/kg/min) (p