Do or die

When a ref decides to stop a fight, it is a big decision which can often lead to a mixed response of criticism and praise. Often times however, the stoppage is made for one reason only; and that is to protect the fighter. Fighters do not like losing and they do not want to be protected, but sometimes the job of a referee is to protect the fighter from themselves.

Recently, the UFC had their first fight night on ESPN (who has taken over from Fox with broadcasting the UFC Fight Nights.) The main event featured a flyweight bout between flyweight camp Henry Cejudo and bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw. The fight was stopped 32 seconds into the first round which saw many complaints of an early referee stoppage.

To me, this is not an early stoppage. Dillashaw was being mauled and had been knocked down multiple times before the fight was stopped, I think the ref made the right call. It is on the fighter if the fight gets called off, so they should not complain. If the fighter is in trouble, then it is the ref’s job to prevent them from taking more unnecessary damage or to stop the potential for serious injury. Most people who get in the ring will not quit as fighters are not wired that way; most fighters I know will keep fighting and feel disheartened by quitting or giving up. However, they all have lives outside the ring and there is no point risking serious injury when a fighter is in trouble in the ring.

Here is a video that I am sure will change your opinion on fight stoppages, this video has had a lasting effect on me:

After watching the video there are a lot of things to think about. Firstly, what was the doctor doing? He is a medical professional and I would have thought he’d have been more proactive. The doctor was paid for and relied upon to pick these sorts of things up. His job at an event like this is to view the fight through a medical lens, one which the average spectator does not possess. For me, the onus is on the doctor, with everything in the media about head injuries (and considering his profession) I would like to think that the possibility of head trauma occurred to him before the event. The doctor is the most impartial decision maker involved in the fight as the fighters’ cornermen are doing everything they can to get their fighter to win. The ref loves fighting and probably is a former fighter, so he is giving the guy every chance. The doctor would have some serious questions to answer about his actions that night. Ask yourself, if one of your loved ones were in the ring would you want that doctor ringside? The second major issue that occurred to me following this video is that I think the ref should’ve stopped that fight. The guy wasn’t throwing any punches and was not ‘intelligently defending’ himself. No offence and not intelligently defending yourself is a guideline to stop any fight as where else is that fight going to go outside of a loss for him? The fight is only heading in direction and if you are not attacking and your defence sucks then why take more damage? The cornerman, he should know his fighter and should’ve known that he was way out of character and that something was up. However, if I put myself in his situation, I have to admit I would have done what he did. I would be trying to wake my fighter up, trying to motivate him and get him going. Leading up to a fight you dig a trench and go through the grind with your fighter and as cheesy as it sounds, you build a bond. This bond makes you emotional on the night of the fight rather than rational and this can mean you are one eyed, wanting success for your fighter over much else.

For me, seeing this video is very concerning. Seeing the fighter stagger around with his feet dragging, and even though there are people who are paid to pick up these signs, there was no one helping him. Yes, he was in there fighting and a fighter excepts a certain level of risk but not at that high of a price.

When you look at a situation with hindsight your vision is 20/20, so these decisions seem so easy when you know what the outcome is. We cannot know for sure what would’ve happened if the doctor called the fight off in the first minute and got him on a backboard with neck support and gave him oxygen. He still might’ve died, or he might still be alive, either way we do not know. This doctor could’ve been at 100 fight nights and was only ever called on to check a concussion after a knock out, stitch a cut, and other general things like that. In his mind, while the fight is going on, the ref is controlling the action and he will only act when asked for his opinion from the ref. In all the doctor’s previous events this is the formula he was working with and it worked until then. Referees get a lot of grief if they stop a fight early, just like the ref that stopped Dillashaw. In that case, Dillashaw had a few choice words for the referee and in addition, Dana White called him out in the post-fight press conference. Now that ref will be less likely to call a stop to a fight due to the post fight behaviour. This means that some poor fighter could take more of beating than they need due to the pressure put on refs to make sure it’s a good fight. Sadly, using the UFC’s fight guide, good fight is ones that are considered the best brawls, with damage and a lot of action. The fights where two people stand toe to toe and swing for the fences, it also helps if there is blood. A fight where GSP or Nurmagomedov do everything technically right and shut down their opponent will never be considered a great fight (according to the UFC standard).

If I have a fighter in the ring and they are in trouble and the ref stops it, I am not going to have a go at the ref as they are just doing their job. At the level that most people fight, they have a family and job, both of which require them to be fully functional. A few bruises, cuts, even a broken bone will heal but that damage to the brain is something that can affect them long term and this can impact their day-to-day lives. If you had a loved one in the ring and you are ring side watching, would you rather see an early stoppage after taking some damage or would you rather see them take some damage survive, take some damage, come out for another round of damage then get beaten to the point of submission before the ref stops the fight? It seems obvious right? But as a culture we still hold the gladiator in high regard. The fighter that takes a beating and doesn’t give up is called tough and has heart (Rocky Balboa). Then the fighter who beats everyone with skill is not considered entertaining (Floyd Mayweather Jr). As much as people don’t like to admit it, people pay for the blood and ko’s and until this mindset is adjusted there is going to be pressure on refs to keep fights going longer than they should. I just hope that the doctors are skilled and brave enough to make sure no long-lasting damage happens to the young fighters in the ring. Don’t get me wrong, I still want to see good hard fights but this is when the fights are even. When a fight becomes one sided from a beat-them-up perspective, then they are not entertaining. I do not want to see a fighter take a beating for 5 rounds then get commended on their courage. As a combat sport, we need to learn to be smarter in our approach to toughness, damage and longevity in the sport.

Gareth Lewis
Head MMA Instructor