Remember how stupid the Merab-Simon stoppage was?

[El Fernas]

Nah, he was clearly out and if you can’t answer the bell you lose. He definitely had the far off stare and didn’t immediately respond when the submission was released. Imagine a fighter winning a decision when they were KO’d at the bell because the ref didn’t get there to stop it before the horn. It was a weird ending, but the correct call.

you mean like when Carlos Newton choked out Matt Hughes, got powerbomb KO'd and Matt Hughes won because he was the first to wake up?

Gray Maynard vs Rob Emerson, that was a good laugh when everyone realizes he was KTFO'd.

 

[El Fernas]

He was moving his legs almost from the start of submission. He was doing it to show the ref he was still there and he did that till the end. Chocked out person isn't capable of doing that.

So just like Holm was signaling the ref she wasnt getting choked out by Tate? Or Chiesa vs Lee?

 

[KAZSoliloquy]

The fight was over though. He didn't need to continue.

I wonder what would have happened if he had immediately looked at the ref instead of taking an extra half a second lol.

“i wonder what would have happened if he did something unconscious people aren’t capable of, to prove he wasn’t unconscious”

 

[KAZSoliloquy]

Nah, he was clearly out and if you can’t answer the bell you lose. He definitely had the far off stare and didn’t immediately respond when the submission was released. Imagine a fighter winning a decision when they were KO’d at the bell because the ref didn’t get there to stop it before the horn. It was a weird ending, but the correct call.

believe it or not, this happened.

 

[dipstickjimmy]

Hard disagree on both points, but that’s ok. It think it’s pretty evident by the three seconds of staring off into space with glazed eyes when the choke is released that he was out. And thus, since he was laying there (clearly in my opinion) unconscious at the end of the fight, the fight was correctly ruled in his opponent’s favor. If Merab didn’t want that to happen and wasn’t out, he should have done literally anything but stare blankly off into space for several seconds at the conclusion of the fight.

He was kicking his legs to keep blood pumping and he moved when Ricky got off of him. he flipped over on his own power. Of course he was out of breath and compromised from being in a choke for almost a minute but he survived to the bell. What more do you want from the guy? Ricky had 15 minutes to choke him out and failed.

The ref didn't ever even seem to wave off the fight??? How long does he have to make a decision that a guy is not able to continue in a fight that is over? Could the ref in Jones vs Sonnen call a TKO for Sonnen since the broken toe is a legit reason to stop a fight and it happened before Jon TKO'd Sonnen? I really just see no reason for the ref to call that when the guy is conscious and he never stopped it during the actual fight.

here is what I think is a few examples of an unconscious when a choke is let go.

 

[xhaydenx]

“i wonder what would have happened if he did something unconscious people aren’t capable of, to prove he wasn’t unconscious”

That wasn't what I was saying so stop trying to be clever.

His head could have easily lolled that way, whether on it's own or deliberate. He answered the ref within 2 seconds. I'm saying I wonder if the ref would have still called it for Simon if that had happened.

 

[xhaydenx]

I like Dvalishvili and I think he beats Simon 9 times out of 10. That said, it's pretty hard to think of him as the winner of a fight that he finished semiconscious staring up at the lights and twitching like fish.

Yeh, I still don't really get the ref calling it though. If you make the end of the round and the ref hasn't called it, you then have to make the next bell for it to be over, right?

Wonder what would happen if someone almost got KOd, but survived, and then collapsed as they were getting the judges scores tallied.

What about when Suga hurt his leg against Soukmatah or whatever his name was. He couldn't stand up after that. He wasn't going to be able to continue either but he got the win.

 

[MrFreeze]

I disagree. I Yair had landed the KO elbow on KZ after the bell instead of 1 second before the bell should he still win?
That ref never saw a need to stop the fight until the bell sounded. Unless he says he was stopping the fight and didn't do so because of the bell he is wrong. Answering the bell is for starting the action. The final bell leaves nothing to answer but the decision. The guy wasn't out. Final bell means he has no need to defend himself. He might have been catching his breath as he was exhausted fighting off a choke for 50 seconds. The same choke the ref saw no need to stop during the fight.

Dom Reyes scored a similar buzzer beater ko and it still went to the cards

 

[sdpdude9]

He was kicking his legs to keep blood pumping and he moved when Ricky got off of him. he flipped over on his own power. Of course he was out of breath and compromised from being in a choke for almost a minute but he survived to the bell. What more do you want from the guy? Ricky had 15 minutes to choke him out and failed.

The ref didn't ever even seem to wave off the fight??? How long does he have to make a decision that a guy is not able to continue in a fight that is over? Could the ref in Jones vs Sonnen call a TKO for Sonnen since the broken toe is a legit reason to stop a fight and it happened before Jon TKO'd Sonnen? I really just see no reason for the ref to call that when the guy is conscious and he never stopped it during the actual fight.

here is what I think is a few examples of an unconscious when a choke is let go.

I mean if you can’t see the guy clearly has the thousand yard stare for several seconds, I don’t know what to tell you. Simon lets go and Merab’s head falls back limply and he stares off into space, bizarre behavior from a guy that’s completely conscious.

And if he’s out, then how can you give him a victory? That’s just silly.

 

[fortheo]

I'm fine with it.

 

[fandangler101]

He was 100% out lol

 

[KAZSoliloquy]

He was 100% out lol

and it’s really not even a debate, i have no idea how this has lasted 5 pages

 

[Black Paladin]

and it’s really not even a debate, i have no idea how this has lasted 5 pages

The first two or three replies are normal--five pages is that damn Sherdog.

 

[hogwash]

He was OUT

 

[Paolo Delutis]

One of the worst ref decisions in the last 10 years. Merab basically dominated him for the whole fight but got caught in a guillotine at the last 50 seconds of the third round. He didn't tap and survived the choke till the bell rang, but the ref decided that he was out after the fight ended.

Really Merab should be undefeated in the ufc because the judge robbed him in the Frankie fight while the ref robbed him in the ricky fight.

Quick question do you roll or have you ever been choked?..


Cuz dude was out...

 

[sonhow]

Its a hard call because he was clearly in at least trouble of going out if not there completely.
At the same time the fight was over and Merab was winning the fight before finish.
Conclusion: result stands as legit but Merab will likely finish with better career.

 

[KBE6EKCTAH_CCP]

I guarantee most of the people questioning the stoppage have never been choked out.

I was never choked out (always tapped early). And yeah this looks to me like he was out. His arms are flat on the floor not moving and mostly the look in his eyes - he has this dead look where he is just looking into nowhere. Just one of those freak endings, I remember being super disappointed when I watched this.

 

[RufusShinra]

Hey guys he wasn't out! His legs were moving! People that are totally conscious and not on autopilot don't do that. Like when Ben Rothwell sent Brendan Schaub into another dimension.

 

[SherdogWasNeverMyFriend]

So just like Holm was signaling the ref she wasnt getting choked out by Tate? Or Chiesa vs Lee?

They are completely different lol.

bizarre behavior from a guy that’s completely conscious.

Who's saying that he was completely conscious? Are you completely conscious if you got clipped hard?
No, but you are not out either. He was lacking oxygen, so he wasn't 100%, but he wasn't out. He was moving his legs, not fucking twitching. Some of you really doesn't understand the difference. And it's not like he started to move them only right at the end. He was doing it almost from the start of submission to signal the ref he was still there, to pump the blood as @dipstickjimmy said, to make himself comfortable - whatever. It was a clear signal that he isn't out and he continued it till the end. He was doing it for a second even after Ricky let the choke off because he wasn't 100%, but not being 100% doesn't mean being out. Ref didn't call it during the fight and he shouldn't call it after the fight either.

@xhaydenx and @MrFreeze provided two instances where fight went to decision even after one of the fighters wasn't capable of continuing fighting. Suga Shin O'Malley was fucked at the end of his fight against Soukhamthath and so was OSP versus Reyes.

@Ares Black you liked these posts, so how these are fine, but still moving Merab isn't?

That said, it's pretty hard to think of him as the winner of a fight that he finished semiconscious staring up at the lights and twitching like fish.

Damn, you even said it by yourself. He was semiconscious, so he wasn't OUT and came back 100% 3 seconds later. If he was conscious enough for ref to not stop it earlier then he was definitely conscious enough for ref to not declare submission after the fight ended ffs. And really, stop exaggerating with sayings like "twitching like a fish"...

Hey guys he wasn't out! His legs were moving! People that are totally conscious and not on autopilot don't do that. Like when Ben Rothwell sent Brendan Schaub into another dimension.

Cool but the difference is Merab was doing the same thing from the start of submission. It's easy to see the differences between this situation and all those other posted above, but you need to start paying attention.

 

[RufusShinra]

They are completely different lol.
Cool but the difference is Merab was doing the same thing from the start of submission. It's easy to see the differences between this situation and all those other posted above, but you need to start paying attention.

Schaub was trying to grab Rothwell and close space as Rothwell took his consciousness away.

Merab was trying to wriggle out/show he was conscious by doing crunches as his consciousness left him.

Same-same