Good night Vienna (or Vie-mma). Apologies, I’m a sucker for wordplay
There is something eminently enchanting about the combat sport phenomenon that is the much-vaunted knockout. It is a wonder to behold, a sight to savour. It carries with it an undisputable finality which a decision win, TKO and submission simply do not.
With a decision, fighters and fans alike are left to subjectively determine whether the bout has been adjudicated accurately and consequently whether the correct combatant has prevailed.
With a TKO, a fighter may fervently contend that the referee had prematurely intervened, that he was still sufficiently compos mentis to continue.
With a submission, the fighter is invariably—unless the casualty has been rendered unconscious via choke, or a victim’s limb has been snapped—capable of regaining his feet unaided, furiously shaking his head at having been caught in a submission hold that he has probably drilled eschewing or escaping one thousand times over during training camp.
However, when a mixed martial artist has disconnected a fellow fighter from consciousness, there remain very few questions that need to be addressed. It is indeed the most conclusive conclusion to an octagon battle, with the unfortunate fighter ordinarily necessitating a period of time to regain his faculties and wits.
Whilst far from constituting a damp squid, such contests just leave one craving a tad more action, the fireworks having precipitately been set off. In the blink of an eye, and before Goldie can even utter “it is all over”, it is actually all over. Mauro Ranallo perfectly encapsulates the situation “this one is over before it even begins”.
And some fighters may even lament their lack of cage time, especially newcomers like Duffee, or those having returned from a prolonged injury layoff, having essentially trained intensively between 8 to 12 weeks for a transient moment lasting literally a number of seconds. Milliseconds are actually required to distinguish between some of the top ten KOs of all-time, though it’s probably the easiest paycheque these fighters will ever earn. In no other sport (aside from other combat sports including boxing) may a victor be determined so quickly.
So enjoy the slideshow, don’t dare blink, and knock yourself out (don’t take me literally of course).