Issue 087
April 2012
Bone-breaking injuries are an extreme consequence of mixed martial arts at the highest level
Submissions are sometimes regarded as a less brutal way of finishing an MMA fight, when compared to a knockout or referee stoppage. In the past, submission artists rarely struck fear into their opponents’ hearts the way a devastating striker did.
Rosi Sexton
Pro fighter & sports therapist
Rosi Sexton is a leading professional fighter, sports therapist and registered osteopath.
However, the fact so many fighters walk away after a submission loss with no obvious injuries should blind nobody to the devastating potential of many of these techniques.
Anybody in doubt just needs to watch Frank Mir’s snapping Antonio Nogueira’s arm at UFC 140, or Ronda Rousey dislocating Julia Budd’s elbow at Strikeforce Challengers 20. And several of Rousimir Palhares’ opponents have sustained knee damage following one of his infamous leg locks.
Injuries of this nature can be serious for a fighter requiring surgery or even ending a career. Can anything be done to prevent them?
Fans occasionally comment that referees should be able to step in sooner to protect a fighter who is clearly in a submission, but too stubborn to tap. Yet, even an experienced grappler can’t reliably tell whether a submission lock is at the point of doing damage, or whether the defender may still have a chance of escaping.
At UFC 111, Dan Hardy surprised people when he escaped several very close armbar and kimura attempts by Georges St-Pierre sustaining no injuries.
It’s important that professional fighters are allowed to make this decision for themselves. Stoppages due to a ‘technical submission’ – where a referee steps in to stop a fight, because a fighter is caught in an obvious submission – are nearly always reserved for situations where a fighter is unconscious because of a choke, or there is a clear injury. Professional fights should never be stopped because an injury might be about to occur.
At an amateur level, it’s sometimes reasonable for a referee to stop a match in order to protect a fighter from himself. But these fighters are often young and inexperienced. How about fighters who apply locks ‘too quickly’ without giving their opponent a chance to tap? Some argue that this is unsporting, or even against the rules. Is there an onus on the fighter to give their opponent a ‘fair chance’ to tap before injury occurs?
Not according to referee Marc Goddard. “At the highest level fighters are fully aware and understand the risks of being caught in a submission that cannot be escaped. Any fighter applying a submission should be able to apply with full intention without fear or reprisal.
“Of course there are incidents when fighters do not submit, most notably and commonly being choked unconscious or being stopped by the referee due to safety. Where a referee calls a stop to a contest as a result of this then these should be recorded as a technical submission.”
Against an experienced fighter, there is often a very narrow window between securing a tap, and allowing your opponent the chance to escape. Despite this, the majority of fighters do apply locks in such a way as to allow their opponent enough time to submit and save themselves from injury. When a fighter refuses to tap, some fighters are clearly more comfortable than others in taking a submission to its logical conclusion.
After shattering Nogueira’s arm with a kimura, Mir was casual in his response. “When I locked up Nogueira, I had a strong inclination he was not going to tap. So I took a deep breath and you guys saw what happened…”
As much as we might be disturbed by his lack of remorse, Mir did the right thing. In a high-stakes competition, a joint lock must carry a credible threat of damage. If a fighter is unwilling to break the joint if necessary, then sooner or later his bluff will be called.
This is why submission-related injuries can never be totally eliminated from mixed martial arts at the highest levels.
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