Are gladiator fights dangerous

Gladiatorial games were dangerous. An estimate of the Death Rate of gladiators in the first century AD gives a figure of 19/100. It has also been estimated that few gladiators survived more than 10 matches or lived past the age of 30. Another estimate gives an average age of death of 18-25 for unsuccessful gladiators.

Originally gladiatorial combats were fights to the death in funeral rites. When they became public games this stopped. The practice of sparing the life of the looser became common. Skills and the quality of the fight were more important that bloodshed. Some gladiators were praised for winning without shedding blood. Nevertheless, the fights were dangerous and death was frequent. Gladiators fought two or three times a year. Some gladiators died at the first combat. An inscription mentions a gladiator who fought 34 times. There was a gladiator who won 51 combats.