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| The National Reporter |
As the UFC marked the return of live sports with two bloodbath main events to a chorus of silence amid the Coronavirus pandemic, some items got pushed onto the agenda that usually would have been brushed under the carpet.
More: Teixeira puts "Lionheart" to the test in brutal five-round beatdown
While drawing comparisons between boxing and MMA is always going to rub at least one of the fanbases the wrong way, if not both, one thing the sport can learn from the sweet science is limiting fighter damage.
Yes, it's a fight. Yes, two people beat each other up. But lives are at stake.
There was no need for Tony Ferguson to take that much damage at UFC 249, and there certainly was no justification for why Anthony Smith got pummelled for that long on Wednesday's night main event.
Of course, the fighters themselves are never going to quit until their lights go out or the referee stops it. Even then, sometimes in a frenzy of lost consciousness or maybe in denial à la Dominick Cruz, they'll have plenty to say about it.
Stoppages can be premature or at least on the fence, as UFC 249's co-main event. Perhaps the main event too was appropriately stopped - after all Ferguson was getting beat up but there was never a time where he was taking a barrage of unanswered shots. Anthony Smith on the other hand should have been stopped far earlier, and if the referee couldn't do their job, the corner certainly should have.
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| Getty Images |
In the grand scheme of things, mixed martial arts remains a young sport, and while it may have propelled itself into the main stream in recent years, it still yearns for a credibility that the other major sports have in their palms. It wasn't too long ago when the sport wasn't even legal in the state of New York.
For the sport to keep growing at the rate it is, it cannot have its reputation playing with fire. These were too fights that went on way longer than they should have. Tony Ferguson and Anthony Smith thankfully will fight another day - but the way it was going that could have been a major question mark.
But you can't place all the blame on the corners either. After all, they protect their fighters interest. Taking a fighter through a gruelling training camp and then pulling them out when they believe they're well is an act of betrayal in their eyes. Just look at Deontay Wilder's loss to Tyson Fury in February, most agreed with the towel being thrown in but The Bronze Bomber was furious. Equally, you don't want to see your fighter get hurt, no one does - it is a dilemma, that requires the sport to take a hard look at itself.
Dana White expected Anthony Smith’s corner to throw in the towel:— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) May 14, 2020
“He was spitting his teeth out. I’m no doctor but I would bet anything he’s got a broken orbital. I thought his corner wouldn’t let him go out for the fifth.”#UFC #UFCJAX https://t.co/62NgO4mdh0 pic.twitter.com/hcG9wfUPg5
Tony Ferguson and Anthony Smith displayed incredible heart, resilience and embodied the fighting spirit. They deserve all the plaudits for that but a precedent must be set here. When enough is enough, it's enough.
These are the problems that are usually drowned out by a sea of excited fans. The pandemic took that away, and now its under the spotlight. Let's look after this sport and everyone who's in it.
More: UFC 249 report
