So, I want to do some martial arts, for self defense. Ideally one that will be useful without giving me CTE, or any long term bad stuff, even though I feel this is already asking for too much 
I don't live in the U๐๐ so gun related stuff isn't really an option.
I'm somewhat heavy, with a year of experience in lifting, and my cardio is not the best, but I can do long walks (of 1 or 2 hours) before getting tired.
I'm going to move to a bigger city in September, and there's a lot of stuff available, so you can comment on the more niche options.
So yeah, any advice from your experiences is welcome lol
If I had known people started arguing over my post I wouldn't have made it.
Small blades are literally less effective for self defense than your hands.
Thanks, I'll keep that in mind in case fortune delivers another "situation" to me.
Just to be clear, the reason is you need to do structural damage to stop an attack. Breaking joints or bones, damaging organs, etc. A small blade is going to make an attacker bleed and it's pretty likely to kill them... but only like an hour later after they've already done whatever they were planning to do.