Having quality referees is important in Mixed Martial Arts because it can prevent serious injuries or, you know, death. Unfortunately, not all referees are created equally.
Super Fight League, India’s top MMA promotion, pitted Asha Roka and Hannah Kampf against one another recently. Early in the fight, Roka catches Kampf in a tight guillotine as one is wont to do in MMA. Kampf quickly goes unconscious from the chokehold and one would think the fight would end right then and there. Well, one would be wrong.
We don’t know if the angle threw off the referee or if he was just plain old incompetent, but he didn’t stop the fight at that time and Roka continued to hold the choke. Thankfully, Kampf’s cornerman Dennis Hallman recognizes what’s happening and rushes into the cage to stop the fight himself.
Check it out.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2573&v=w7uENNimn-k
When the brain is deprived of oxygen for an extended period of time, you suffer brain damage. That’s basic physiology that all MMA referees should know. Normally, fighters tap out or the fight is stopped long before a chokehold can become dangerous. We don’t know what this ref was smoking but Kampf was still in that guillotine well after she had gone to sleep. Luckily, Hallman is a UFC veteran and quickly stepped in before any serious damage could be done.
As a reward, Hallman should be allowed to choke out the ref to teach him a lesson. It’s only fair.
WATCH: Cornerman Saves MMA Fighter From Guillotine Choke At SFL
