Ronda Rousey: If the person doesn’t tap you keep going
On Saturday Strikeforce crowned a new Women’s Bantamweight Champion. Ronda Rousey took the title from Miesha Tate via an armbar that forced Tate to tap before the first round came to an end. The submission victory was Rousey’s fifth in five professional MMA fights, all coming in the first round and all coming via armbar.
The armbar left Tate’s arm twisted in what can kindly be called an unnatural angle prior to her tap. There were some that said the referee should have stepped in and ended the fight, something that Rousey did not agree with, “The rules that I’m used to, that I grew up with in Judo is that if you don’t tap, it doesn’t count, even if it’s broken, even if it’s really broken. If the person doesn’t tap you keep going. If she had a free hand, then she could have tapped at anytime. I think the referee made the right call, it’s up to (her). He was trying to respect her and her choice, she could have given up at anytime. If he would have stopped it sooner, then other people would have been upset that he stopped it before the tap. Anything they do in that situation, people are just going to find a way to criticize.” – for more see MMAFighting.com
What do you think LowKick’ers, should the fight have been stopped early?
Further Reading: Strikeforce Tate vs. Rousey Fighter Salaries: “Jacare” Souza, Josh Thomson lead payroll
