What's the point of warning both fighters to engage?

[D'z]

There is no point. TS, you're right. It's stupid.

 

[Filthy Phil]

OR. If it's a total shitshow. A complete shit show á la Lewis/Ngannou, it could be deemed a No Contest. The real consequences for the fighters come afterwards in the form of getting demoted in the rankings and having to fight a less-than-great opponent (for example, fighting an unranked guy).

Just a suggestion.

 

[sangreporsangre]

I think it's more to shame them, to embarrass them to the point that they'll start fighting.

 

[SeattleFightFan]

If a fight is boring, a fight is boring...just let the fight end and let the judges decide.

this same argument has been made about standups since ....well, refs starting standing people up in the late 90's.

For example, in the Lewis-Ngannou fight Herb Dean warns both guys that he will take a point away if they don't "engage"...

What can he possibly do in this situation? Deduct a point from both guys, essentially making it a 9-8 round instead of 10-9? What difference would this make?

If a fight is boring, a fight is boring...I just don't understand the purpose of a warning when both guys are throwing roughly the same amount of strikes.

Even if he chooses one of them to deduct a point from, he might essentially be picking the winner based on his opinion of who "engaging" more

A referee shouldn't be involved in deciding a winner imo.

you extrapolated quite heavily there. until a time when a ref actually takes a point away from one fighter because both lacked engagement, there's no reason to play the "what if" game.

fact is, in this sport refs talk to the fighters. sometimes they remind them to engage. other times they warn "watch the back of the head", or "don't hold the fence". many fans think refs shouldn't do that (and each of those people hate BJM, since it was him who essentially created this ref role). the supporting arguments for this opinion tend to be as facile as "refs don't warn people in NBA, why should they in MMA?!?!?"

i respectfully suggest that while your perspective is technically correct (you're right, there is essentially nothing the ref can do), you are essentially making a mountain out of a molehill.