[quote]Damici wrote:
I’ve watched the slow-mo replay a few times and to me it ‘technically’ looked like an early stoppage, but only from the standpoint that, like you said, it looked like Chuck started actively trying to defend himself at the end a little, so he wasn’t really OUT-out.
But it would’ve made zero difference if the ref let it go on a little longer, as the result would’ve been the same; with a few more of those shots landing (Rampage had him in a totally vulnerable position), Chuck WOULD’VE been out-out, and the ref would’ve risked Chuck getting seriously, permanently injured.
So the result wouldn’t have changed, it just would’ve come a few seconds later. So I guess that makes it fair for the ref to have stopped it when he did.
blitzkrg wrote:
I feel this was an early stoppage…
I watched it in slow mo several times…
No doubt CL got rocked… no doubt he hit the floor, but he only took 2 1/2 punches (1 kinda brushed off his face = 1/2)
and the ref stopped it.
on the 3rd punch, chuck was in the process of sitting up…
now if the fighter is out cold, then certainly stop it, but if he is dazed and down, then give him a few minutes to work through it, if he gets knocked out while down, then so be it, but i think it was stopped to soon and i don’t think he was beyond coming back at that point…
perhaps it would have ended the same, i don’t care one way or the other, but i think as the champion he should have been given the benefit of the doubt and as people who get beat up for a living (and beat people up) they should be able to take a few punches without the ref stepping in…
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Frankly, I thought it was an excellent stoppage. Liddell went completely limp with an elbow from Rampage, which is cause enough to call the fight. Strangely, Rampage’s last blow before the stoppage actually woke him up somewhat.
Still, I’d take early stoppages over late ones anyday. Some of the famously bad ones from the good old days of Pride FC still make me a bit nauseous when I think about them.