UFC BRISBANE: IN DEFENSE OF THE NEIL MAGNY NON-STOPPAGE

TILL THE FAT LADY SINGS In the wake of UFC Fight Night Brisbane many people are talking about the 5 out of 6 stoppages on the main card, but none more than the Neil Magny vs. Hector Lombard fight which ended in the 3rd but many felt should’ve been called in the 2nd. The Recap – Hector Lombard returned from his one year lay off with a head full of steam. The welterweight came out swinging with bad intentions, landing a barrage of stiff punches against up and comer Neil Magny. Probably a split second away from the fight being stopped, Neil Magny showed some major heart by standing up time and time again after being dropped by heavy punches up against the cage. He made it to the center of the octagon and managed to end the round landing strikes on a visibly tired Hector Lombard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N73HRZZ2jx0 Rnd 2 – Magny opened up with his striking to an almost defenseless Lombard who’s only answers were whiffing Haymakers. Magny eventually took full mount and ended up landing a flurry of punches. Hector eventually gave up his back, eating more punches and covering up for dear life. The judges allowed him to take the damage and Lombard hangs in until the 3rd round. Rnd 3 – Magny comes out, takes Lombard to the ground and ends the fight with strikes to the head. The fallout came during the fight as many people felt Hector Lombard, who took 49 unanswered shots on the ground, took too much damage and the ref should’ve stepped in. I disagree with this way of thinking. While the fight could’ve definitely been stopped in the 2nd, I understand why it wasn’t. First off, you gotta love Aussie refs. For those of you guys who’ve never been, Australians are known for their “rough and ready” type attitude and it seems like it played a role in last night’s main card.  In the 1st round Neil Magny was getting waxed by anybody’s standards, getting dropped against the fence, there was periods of little movement where he was sitting on his butt and getting trounced with an open handed glove as defense. By most refs standards, the fight should’ve been stopped right there. If Magny would’ve gotten back up wobbly, only to be finished off in the second round, we would probably be making the argument the other way around. It’s only fair that he gave Hector Lombard the same chance. Secondly, the shots Neil Magny were landing weren’t devastating. While they definitely moving Lombard, he seemed to be more tired than hurt. The referee gave him the chance to fight out and Hector kept moving just as the bout was going to be called. In the closing seconds of the round Hector Lombard even manage to give the ref a thumbs up. Thirdly, the ref was communicating with the fighters the whole time. The ref was on top of the action watching Lombard and communicating with the fighter making sure he could still go. While some fighters are too tough for their own good and it is the ref’s jobs to protect the fighters, at the end of the day these are warriors and they want to fight until they’ve got nothing left. This type of sport isn’t a 9-5, most of these guys would probably make more money if they got a business degree than if they fought MMA. These modern day gladiators obviously to do it for the love, to prove something to themselves and to the world, to tap into their human potential, let them. We watch MMA for the same reasons, we want to see the comebacks, the bloody wars, the triumph over adversity, self expression at it’s highest form, the freedom of the human spirit. I am not saying we should go back to no rules or that we should wait to see a guy’s head beaten – we’ve got referee’s for a reason – but if he’s got more fight in him, let him fight. What do you guys think? Was the bout stopped too later or did the referee do the right thing?