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# 🦠 Why MRSA is so dangerous for grapplers
- URL: https://fightingmatters.com/why-mrsa-is-so-dangerous-for-grapplers/
- Published: 2025-06-12T09:22:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-12T05:17:42.000Z
- Description: We're doing this episode in light of Ben Askren's battle with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
- Author: Fighting Matters
- Tags: Podcast, Video, Health & Science

We're doing this episode in light of Ben Askren's battle with MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).  
  
In this episode of Fighting Matters, Steve Kwan from BJJ Mental Models sits down with Jeff Shaw of Bellingham BJJ and Dr. Clayton Green, a board-certified dermatologist and microbiologist, to dig into one of the scariest health threats in combat sports: MRSA.  
  
Why are otherwise healthy grapplers winding up hospitalized with life-threatening infections? Why does doing “everything right” still not guarantee safety? And what can we learn from modern medicine to actually prevent this from happening?  
  
With pro athletes like Ben Askren and John Moxley getting sidelined by staph—and regular gym-goers like Jeff fighting it off with IV antibiotics—this conversation goes beyond hygiene to tackle culture, misinformation, and the war between science and bro science.  
  
⸻  
  
👥 Featuring:  
  
Dr. Clayton Green – Dermatologist & Microbiologist  
Jeff Shaw ‪@BellinghamBJJ‬  
Steve Kwan ‪@bjjmentalmodels‬  
  
⸻  
  
🧠 Topics We Cover:  
  
• How MRSA actually works (and why it’s deadly)  
• Why your gym might still be dangerous, even if it’s clean  
• The science behind colonization and contamination  
• Best practices for prevention and decolonization  
• Why “doing your own research” is making you sick  
• What science communicators can learn from pro wrestling  
  
⸻  
  
📖 Chapters:  
  
[00:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&ref=fightingmatters.com) Introduction to Staph Infections in Combat Sports  
[02:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=164s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Understanding Staph and MRSA: The Basics  
[05:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=333s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Ecology of Staph: Colonization and Transmission  
[08:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=510s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Identifying Staph Infections in Gyms  
[11:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=677s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Best Practices for Prevention and Hygiene  
[13:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=836s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Antibiotics and Treatment: What You Need to Know  
[16:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=997s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Decolonization: Challenges and Strategies  
[19:28](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=1168s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Prophylactic Antibiotics: Risks and Considerations  
[22:06](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=1326s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Conclusion and Final Thoughts  
[25:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=1539s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Importance of Advocacy in Medicine  
[28:12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=1692s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Understanding Staph Infections and Their Risks  
[37:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=2235s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Probiotics and Antibiotics: What You Need to Know  
[44:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=2660s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Communicating Science Effectively to Combat Misinformation  
[51:51](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3111s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Goalkeeper Syndrome in Society  
[53:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3189s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Impact of Denialism on Health  
[54:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3265s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Importance of Vaccination and Public Health  
[56:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3417s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Role of Emotion in Persuasion  
[58:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3505s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Urgent Care and Access to Healthcare  
[01:03:14](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=3794s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Privilege of Health and Misinformation  
[01:06:48](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=4008s&ref=fightingmatters.com) The Challenges of Chronic Illness and Research  
[01:10:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CK9zGUKmtc&t=4235s&ref=fightingmatters.com) Community Outreach and the Medical Profession