devynwrites

[devynwrites]

MMA Coaches are Cowards

Although Boxing and MMA are sister sports (with a particularly incestuous relationship as of late), they are very different culturally. Especially in terms of demographics, training methods, but most importantly in regard to the philosophy they have towards a trainer’s responsibility to protect their fighter. A perfect example of this is last night’s featherweight bout between Rick Glenn and Gavin Tucker, which I will proceed to actually talk very little about.

The phenomenon to not "throw in the towel" in MMA has been documented by better writers than myself, but I want to talk about why this problem is more pronounced in MMA than nearly any other combat sport. What are the dynamics that encourage this behavior by MMA cornermen?

There are some institutional reasons just in terms of how the sport is structured. The standard MMA fight is shorter and has far less rounds than the average boxing match. As most corner stoppages come in-between rounds, it gives the corner less time to see the fight play out. MMA is also a more dynamic sport that lends itself to sudden momentum changes, so it’s easier to convince yourself that a fighter can get a stoppage in the third round to win, rather than being outmatched in the fifth round realizing your fighter isn’t even halfway through the fight. Fifteen minutes is a short amount of time in most circumstances, but getting your ass beat is not one of those circumstances.

MMA training also tends to be less personalized than boxing. A boxer’s training camp is often entirely focused on them, with more one on one training with the lead trainer. Wrestling influence on how MMA training developed is obvious. MMA training is often done as a group (even dangerously so). This is somewhat a necessity as very few MMA fighters can afford tailor a camp around their needs. I think both forms of training are valid and could borrow more from one another, but I do think it’s important to note that MMA head trainers have more clientele than their boxing counterparts. It’s hard to wonder if boxing trainers simply care about their fighters more as a result of it.

It can easily be a logistical problem as well. It’s easier to throw in the towel in a ring as opposed to a cage. There’s been discussion and confusion as to whether it is still a foul in some states. This shouldn’t really matter, because getting a DQ loss on your fighters record isn’t much different than having a corner stoppage on their record, but maybe this effects a corner’s mentality.

All that said, I think the biggest reason MMA coaches don’t stop fights is simple: they’re fucking cowards. They’re afraid that if they stop a fight they’ll damage their relationship with their fighters and lose money. I imagine win bonuses (which are already a bad labor practice in this sport) only exacerbate the problem. Send an out on his feet fighter in a title eliminator out for another round because on the off chance he pulls it off, we get 5% of 100k instead of 5% of 200k.

The cowardice extends to the highest levels of the sport. Javier Mendes let Jon Fitch and Josh Koscheck get absolutely destroyed by Georges St. Pierre, Greg Jackson has repeatedly failed his fighters, and Mike Winklejohn should never be allowed to corner anyone again after thisdebacle. Junior Dos Santos is never gonna be the fighter he was before he met Cain Velasquez for a second and third fight. After last night we add Tucker’s second Peter Martell to the list, who was both delusional enough to think that the fight was tied up going into the third but also that Rick Glenn was going to stop elbowing his fighter so hard in the face he practically stabs his brain with his nose bone out of the kindness of his heart.

Greg Jackson has said that he doesn’t want to damage his fighters morale or trust in him, and that it is the referees job only to stop the fight. This chicken shit excuse doesn’t hold weight on multiple levels, but mostly good coaches know there is a right way to end the fight (as pointed out by Connor Ruebusch). It’s cowardly for a coach to absolve themselves of all responsibility towards fighter safety. I doubt that shit would fly in his gym (although in some camps like AKA or Rufusport it probably does), so why it flies in a fight is beyond me.

The reality of the situation is that referees are put in an awkward position when a fighter is technically protecting themselves and trying to improve their position, but taking a lot of punishment in transition. Of course a referee can stop a fight at their discretion, and it is acceptable to stop a fight due to overall punishment. But in instances were a fighter is competing enough to have the referee give them the benefit of a doubt, the corner needs to keep in mind their responsibility to minimize sustained damage. A sustained beating does more to a hamper a career than a flash knockout will in the longterm.

Fighter's are often far too tough for their own good. This is a quality we commend in them, and rightfully so. We all fell in love with this sport in part because we saw fighters overcoming adversity and persevering, taking advantage of the chaotic nature of this carnival ride. It's been said before, but this greatness comes at a price, and they often need to be protected from themselves.

MMA is a relatively young sport. If you’re in a boxing gym long enough you’ve met someone who has taken too many punches. You have at least a subconscious awareness that people have died in that ring. Unfortunately I don’t think coaches in MMA (especially those who have transitioned from grappling based combat sports) have that sort of awareness. This ignorance will get someone severely hurt. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. The consequences of which aren’t worth candy ass MMA trainers protecting their brands and businesses.