Editorial: Combat sports and wellbeing: advancing health and inclusion in athletes and practitioners

Combat sports (CS) and martial arts (MA) are among the oldest forms of organized human activity, combining technical skills, discipline, and competition with cultural, philosophical, and social significance. In contemporary times, they have been framed through the lens of athletic excellence, tactical performance, and competitive outcomes. Yet in the past two decades, the scientific community has increasingly recognized their broader role as tools for promotion of health, psychological resilience, and social inclusion. This evolving paradigm shift has been reinforced by a growing body of empirical evidence, demonstrating that CS and MA can be viewed not only as competitive practices but also as interventions for improving wellbeing across the lifespan and in diverse populations. The present Research Topic, Combat Sports and Wellbeing: Advancing Health and Inclusion in Athletes and Practitioners, gathers 13 peer-reviewed contributions spanning original research, systematic and narrative reviews, mini-reviews, and opinion papers. Collectively, these works highlight this research area from different perspectives and underscore how CS and MA can be leveraged to enhance quality of life, psychological resilience, and social cohesion. Hereinafter, we synthesize these contributions organizing them into four major thematic domains: psychological resilience, physical and mental health outcomes, inclusion and adaptive practice, and innovation and contemporary applications. Finally, we reflected on the translational and practical implications of this body of work and highlighted emerging directions for future research in this field.