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Freedom Fighters
Only a Fighter Should Determine How, When He's Had Enough |
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Written by Brendan Lopez |
 Recently, I viewed an event on network television in which one of the commentators stressed his inability to understand why events allow fighters to take repeated hits and force them to "tap out" to strikes.
In his opinion, a fighter should never have to tap out to strikes and that this was a lack of responsibility on the referee's part.
Anyone who has read my column knows that I hold a very strong opinion of this very topic. I do not believe that the referee should intervene for any reason except to protect a fighter when he is no longer consciously able to defend himself.
I cannot stand the fact that officials have been given, or have taken upon themselves, the authority to dictate when they feel a fighter has had enough. It is easy to see a stoppage if a fighter is unconscious or is out "on his feet."
However, to stop a match simply because a fighter is in a bad position or is eating punches while still consciously defending himself is outrageous. The fighter knows what he can take, his corner knows what he can take and the referee does not.
The decision to quit should be left in the hands of the ones who are ultimately responsible for their actions in the cage, and that means either the fighter by submitting on his own free will or his corner, which also has the authority to call the match on his behalf. After all, these are the guys who have been specifically training with the fighter for this match.
When a fighter verbally submits or visually taps out, this is a submission, and the fight has been won via submission. When the referee stops a fight, this is a technical knockout or TKO. The reason this is called a technical knockout is due to the fact that the fighter is technically unconscious. While not being fully knocked out, the fighter is out nonetheless and is no longer consciously able to defend himself.
When the referee makes the decision to stop a fight before the fighter is in this state, he, in effect, changes the outcome of the fight. I look at this much the same way as a fight being stopped when a submission isn't even locked in yet. One would never stop a fight to a half-assed armlock, so why should there be a stoppage from strikes, as well?
EVER HEARD OF ROPE-A-DOPE?
Mixed martial arts is a contact sport. Fighters train to get hit, and only their cornermen and coaches know what their gameplan is as well as what they are capable of sustaining.
Much like boxing, the referee should have the ability to call a fight when a fighter is clearly unable to defend himself. But could you imagine the outrage if that referee were to call a fight after a boxer ate two or three punches before he was able to mount his own attack? Anyone ever heard of a rope-a-dope?
Again, there is a distinction drawn here. Officials need to know the difference between a fighter who is defending himself within reason and one no longer able to defend himself consciously.
NO DISHONOR IN SUBMITTING
Years ago I attended a class taught by UFC and Pride veteran Jeremy Horn. He made a point to comment his disdain for fighters who tap to strikes. In his opinion, this was just giving up the fight.
I will agree to this to an extent, but I believe that if a fighter is in an absolutely hopeless position (i.e. Hughes vs. Penn II) there is no dishonor in submission. However, this should be the fighter's choice-not the official's.
That being said, it is the fighter's responsibility to be active enough to show the official he is still in the game. Block, strike back, change position. Turtling up on all fours and eating punches is not an effective way of relaying your message to the referee that you are still in the game.
CRITICAL TO THE SPORT
This is still a relatively new sport, with rules changing and evolving as the sport grows. However, this is one rule I am adamant about ... the freedom for a fighter to choose how and when he has had enough is critical to the nature of the sport.
So to answer the commentator's question, why do they allow a fight to continue and force a fighter to tap to strikes? The answer is simple - because that would be a technical knockout instead of a submission.
This is mixed martial arts, a contact sport held between trained professionals who have the technical expertise to make that decision on their own accord.
Giving that fighter the option of tapping out to strikes offers him every option to execute his game plan without interjection. It is the respect shown to these fighters by not having their fight dictated for them, but by them.
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