Mixed martial arts is often accused of being more violent and brutal than boxing.

It turns out this information is based on hearsay and inaccurate assumptions.

A University of Alberta study released Thursday says the opposite is true, that boxing poses a higher risk of serious injury, especially from concussions, head trauma and loss of consciousness.

Researchers at the U of A's Glen Sather Sports Medicine Clinic reviewed a decade's worth of data from medical examinations following Edmonton mixed martial arts and boxing matches, and discovered MMA fighters face a slightly higher risk of minor injuries.

"You're more likely to get injured if you're participating in mixed martial arts, but the injury severity is less overall than boxing," said lead author Shelby Karpman, a sports medicine physician at the Glen Sather clinic and a ringside doctor for the past 25 years.

"Most of the blood you see in mixed martial arts is from bloody noses or facial cuts; it doesn't tend to be as severe, but looks a lot worse than it actually is."

Karpman's team, working with the Edmonton Combative Sports Commission, went over post-fight records of 1,181 MMA fighters and 550 boxers battling between 2003 and 2013.

Researchers discovered boxers were more likely to experience loss of consciousness during a bout: 7 per cent compared with MMA fighters at 4 per cent.

In boxing "you're really aiming at the head, and so all the energy is focused at the head," Karpman said.

Sterling Craig, a local long-time professional boxing trainer, feels the same way.

"It's common sense. Somebody gets punched repeatedly in the head, something's gotta give eventually.

"There's more than one way to win an MMA fight. You can win with an ankle lock or an armbar or a choke-out. You don't have all these other options."

Craig stressed qualified referees play a big role in protecting fighters from injury.

"It's always better to stop a fight too early than it is too late. It starts at the coaching level and it goes on to the referees learning their craft. And of course . . . the matchmakers that set up the matches. Everybody should be held accountable for that."

Meanwhile, Karpman said MMA scrappers also face the stigma of being seen as too violent by the medical profession.

"These guys do not get the respect they deserve for what they're doing — or the medical treatment — because the medical community doesn't want to deal with such a bloody sport with head injuries and concussions."

MMA veteran Victor Valimaki, a 14-year practitioner of violent encounters including boxing, concurs.

"There are definitely risks. I've been pretty messed up," said Valimaki, who during his career has suffered broken feet and arms, among other body parts. "Most injuries happen during training."

Karpman, whose study was published in the peer-reviewed Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, stressed more information is needed to raise awareness.

"I always say if you're going to ban a sport, you need statistics. Just watching mixed martial arts twice on TV does not cut it. And even if you ban a sport, you're not going to stop it. You're just going to take it underground where they're not going to receive medical care."