Author: Charttopper

Our current on call referee, Marc Fennell, gives us his perspective on the “choke submission” and what he expects from a fighter once he steps into the cage.

*The Choke Submission*

If you were watching the UFC this weekend or Bellator last month, a coupleof stoppages have raised good questions: How does a Referee determine if a fighter is unconscious from a submission hold?

When a Referee conducts a Fighters Meeting other than introducing ourselves, reviewing the rules and what we expect inside the cage, we also discuss *”Communication (Nonverbal and verbal)”.*
**
*Nonverbal *Communication is “Showing” us a sign; tapout, giving a thumbs up, throwing punches or kicks, etc.

*Verbal* Communication would be “Telling” us what is happening in the fight; verbal tapout, telling us about an injury, telling us about a missed foul, telling us the fighter is ok, etc.

In the case of a “Choke submission”, the Referee needs to consider is it a blood choke (lack of circulation) or an airway choke (lack of oxygen)? And Fighter safety. Why? The fighter will give the referee different clues and appear differently (Will be discussed in future articles), among other
things.

If the Referee feels that a fighter is unconscious (lack of muscle tone, snoring, no communication with the Referee, lack of fighting, etc) generally we will ask the fighter to show us a sign or use a “keyword” and/or grab an arm/hand at the same time. If the fighter “shows” us no response, the Referee assumes that the fighter is unable to protect himself or herself and is unconscious. Sometimes you will see a fighter show the Referees a “thumbs up” or a head nod or actually tell Referee, “I am ok.”

All the Referee ask for is a “Sign”.

Marc Fennell
www.mmarcs.net
www.twitter.com/marcsnet