UFC veteran Tom Lawlor taking time off for CTE-related symptoms

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY SportsUltimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Light Heavyweight veteran Tom Lawler is one of the most game fighters in mixed martial arts (MMA) today. Heck, his style of fighting and gritty pursuit of victory has earned him the nickname, "Filthy."

But even for a guy who makes a living out of going toe-to-toe with the best human weapons on the planet, brain trauma is not something you can stop with a punch. Instead, symptoms relating to Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a disease found in the brain of athletes subjected to repetitive head trauma, need to be addressed immediately.

For Lawlor, his unfortunate experience with concussions, the leading symptom of CTE,…