UFC announced on Thursday, October 8, 2026, the renewal of its partnership with the Cleveland Clinic. The organization is contributing 1 million dollars to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas. The funding extends the Professional Athletes Brain Health Study through 2030.
A partnership fifteen years in the making
UFC joined the study in 2011, when it was known as the Professional Fighters Brain Health Study. The organization has since committed more than 3 million dollars across four rounds of funding, in 2011, 2016, 2021 and now 2026. The program enters its 15th year under Dr. Charles Bernick, founder and primary investigator of the study at Cleveland Clinic Nevada. Bernick has tracked many of the same athletes since the program began, letting his team observe brain health changes over years rather than a single checkup. He credits UFC’s long-standing support as essential to the study’s success and continued impact.
WWE and Zuffa Boxing join the program
WWE and Zuffa Boxing are now joining the program through athlete participation and financial support. Zuffa Boxing athletes become eligible for the study for the first time. Zuffa Boxing is a joint venture between TKO Group Holdings and Sela, an entertainment conglomerate, with TKO managing day-to-day operations. UFC President and CEO Dana White also anchors Zuffa Boxing’s executive leadership. UFC, WWE and Zuffa Boxing all operate under TKO Group Holdings, which trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker TKO. WWE President and TKO board member Nick Khan said the expanded partnership could advance brain health science and support future athlete safety. UFC Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein said the organization is proud to renew its commitment to the Cleveland Clinic’s work.
What the study measures
The Professional Athletes Brain Health Study tracks the cumulative effects of head impacts, whether or not they produce a diagnosed concussion. It examines risk factors for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE, the degenerative disease linked to repetitive head trauma. More than 900 active and retired athletes take part on a voluntary basis. Over the years the program has expanded beyond fighters to include professional bull riders, hockey players and motorsports drivers. It is described as the largest study focused on professional athletes exposed to repetitive head trauma, and the first to follow active and retired male and female athletes together.
Participants receive free, ongoing brain health assessments, including an annual MRI scan. Researchers have already detected subtle changes in brain structure and in certain blood proteins released after an impact. Those signals could serve as early indicators of brain injury, ahead of any visible symptoms. Dr. Bernick summarized the value of the long-term approach, saying that following athletes over many years allows researchers to directly observe how conditions such as CTE develop over time.
The next decade of research
Over the next decade, investigators plan to study lifestyle and environmental factors that influence the onset of CTE. They will also search for better blood biomarkers and test new treatments. Cleveland Clinic says the findings are meant to help guide policies that protect people exposed to repetitive head impacts beyond sports, including in military and civilian settings. The renewal guarantees UFC fighters, WWE wrestlers and Zuffa Boxing athletes continued access to this free medical monitoring through at least 2030.
A specialized center in Las Vegas
The Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, which houses the study, opened in 2009 in Las Vegas and also operates locations in Cleveland, Ohio, and Weston, Florida. The center diagnoses and treats Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia and other neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis. Its parent organization, Cleveland Clinic, employs about 83,000 people, including more than 6,600 salaried physicians and researchers, across 23 hospitals and 300 outpatient facilities. UFC noted that its support stands alongside funding from other sports organizations involved in the same research program.
The scale behind the partnership
UFC says more than 700 million fans worldwide follow the promotion, with roughly 370 million social media followers across its channels. The organization runs more than 40 live events a year, broadcast to around 1 billion households in 210 countries and territories, with athletes representing more than 75 countries. WWE produces content 52 weeks a year, with programming reaching more than 1 billion households in over 20 languages. Cleveland Clinic lists those figures alongside the partnership announcement to describe the scale of the two promotions now tied to the brain health study.
