An MMA fighter has been diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) for the first time, The Boston Globe reported.
Jim Parsons, 25, was diagnosed with the degenerative brain disease six months after his death, Dr. Bennet Omalu told The Globe. Omalu is the forensic pathologist who discovered CTE and who the Will Smith movie "Concussion" is about.
Parsons, who was killed by a drunken driver while crossing a street six months ago, was routinely beat in the head while in the Octagon, which likely led to his diagnosis.
"These findings confirm that the danger of exposure to CTE is not limited to just football, hockey and wrestling," Omalu said.