UFC on FOX referee Herb Dean has said he’s always looking for a reason to let a fight continue. Reason being, he wants to give fighters the best chance they can of winning the fight while protecting their safety.
What he often finds, though, is that fighters don’t seem to be particularly concerned with their safety, at least from what they say.
Former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres once used a customary backstage meeting with his referee to instruct the official not to stop the fight unless he was knocked out cold.