If you're among the professional boxers and MMA fighters competing at the highest levels of combat sports, you live with risks that most athletes never contemplate. Every training session, every bout carries inherent dangers: traumatic brain injuries and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), knockout-related head trauma and concussions, internal organ damage from body strikes, spinal cord injuries from takedowns and falls, and dehydration complications from extreme weight cutting. These aren't theoretical risks—they're the calculated realities you accept in pursuit of excellence in combat sports where the margin between victory and devastating injury is measured in split seconds.

Your final messages should acknowledge the profound passion that draws you to combat sports at the professional level. Your family deserves to understand that you didn't pursue reckless violence, but rather dedicated yourself to a discipline requiring intense training, strategic thinking, and mastery of technique. Share what this journey has meant to you—the satisfaction of pushing physical and mental limits, the respect earned through dedication and courage, the deep bonds formed with training partners and coaches who understand the warrior mentality. Explain your awareness of the risks, your commitment to safety protocols within the inherent dangers of striking and grappling, your understanding of long-term neurological monitoring. Let them see that every fight was approached with full knowledge of potential consequences and proper preparation.

Consider creating career-specific messages that address the unique aspects of professional fighting. Document your most meaningful victories, the lessons learned from both wins and losses, the technical skills developed through years of dedication, and the profound respect for opponents who shared the same risks in pursuit of excellence. These details provide context that helps your family understand why you chose this path despite—and perhaps because of—the serious health risks inherent in professional combat sports.

For those who share your life, acknowledge both their support and their unique burden. They've lived with the anxiety of watching you absorb punishment that accumulates over time, worried about the long-term effects of repeated concussions and head trauma, and understood that your identity as a fighter was fundamental to who you are. Express gratitude for their acceptance of a career where brain damage, knockout trauma, and potential long-term cognitive decline are documented risks accepted by every professional fighter. Let them know that if complications arise from years of combat—whether sudden or gradual—it occurred while you were living on your own terms, pursuing mastery in a discipline that gave your life profound meaning and purpose.

JP, Luca, CJ, 8, and Summer