Sportsmanship is the foundation of competition. Without it, combat sports especially are much more barbaric and hard to swallow. In the UFC, although they quite often come across as enemies, fighters have an undying respect for each other.
The building blocks for all martial arts is respect, but unfortunately in other sports the same cannot be said. Many mainstream sports like Football and Soccer are diluted by bad sportsmanship and cheating. Even though the latter could be said for MMA too, often we get to see the better side of fighters.
Holly Holm Consoles Ronda Rousey at UFC 193
One example of great sportsmanship is after the fight. In the case above, Holly Holm had just knocked out Ronda Rousey with a crazy head kick. Although they’d shared a fierce rivalry, all that is put to bed when the fight is over.
It’s a common theme among fighters, who truly need rivals to flourish. Here’s an example of perhaps poor sportsmanship, when Roy Nelson kicked referee Big John McCarthy at UFC Brasilia last night:
Roy Nelson Kicks John McCarthy
UFC heavyweight Roy Nelson exploded after his knockout win against Bigfoot Silva. ‘Big Country’ later explained his feelings about the incident. He claims the referee let the fight go on too long, and his friendship with Antonio Silva brought up feelings of anger. He didn’t want to punish his comrade any further.
Are there any examples of fighters refusing to go on due to the referee not stopping?
^^Worst Ref Ever^^
What happens if a fighter refuses to continue punishing his or her opponent? Technically, by the unified rules of MMA, a fighter who refuses to continue would lose. Even if they are dominating the action, they must continue until the referee steps in.
That’s why the following video went viral overnight…
