You're right...I forgot about armbars, kneebars, toeholds and heel hooks. Any small joint locks like finger bending are still illegal.
I don't see how getting beaten badly while trapped in a dominant position and not being able to escape is really much different from being trapped in a submission and not being able to escape. Either way the outcome is most likely you losing the fight. People have had their limbs bent every which way and managed to escape, so we can't act like being caught in a tight sub = a guaranteed finish, or that someone getting bludgeoned repeatedly and tapping is just being lazy and not doing everything they can to improve position. At least when you're in a submission you're not getting your brain rattled to the point where your equilibrium is all out of whack. In either situation you're not really in a good place to improve your position. I think you're majorly underestimating what it's like to be badly rocked and not having much opportunity to do anything without taking more damage.
You can't really improve your position when a submission is locked in , so tapping is just acknowledging that your opponent got the better of you. If you don't tap in that situation and your arm is broken ala Mir/Big Nog, Mir/Sylvia, Saku/Renzo etc then it's just a sign of poor sportsmanship on your part and you're probably deserving of a broken limb. Tapping to strikes differs though, if you're trapped in a crucifix I can understand or in a similar predicament to Barnett when he lost his vision and didn't want to be punted full force by Cro cop but tapping the way GSP did to Serra was just an easy out for a guy that severely underestimated his opponent. That kind of tapping to strikes I strongly disagree with, kudos to you if that's how you want to go out but I don't agree with it.
Strikes can lead to disfigurement and CTE.
obviously never saw ken after tito was finished with him. that shit was permanent.
Yeah I don't want to post Sakuraba pics after Wanderlei.
Yes and fighters know this beforehand. Tapping to a joint lock is sensible because if you're locked into a submission and they break your limb your out of action for 8-12 months, if you're in a position to tap to strikes you're also in a situation where you could improve your position or worse case scenario where the ref will save you. I just think it's a bit of a front runner mentality if you're willing to kick someone's ass but will tap out before they have a chance to kick your ass.
depends how hard the strikes are. when they start breaking bones in your face like jones elbows do people start tapping. that a bit like saying boxers are pussies when they can't handle the pain of a liver shot. they only way a liver shot incapacitates you is by pain, and i can guarantee elbows to the face can achieve the same level of pain.
Fighters know beforehand that they can get choked out too. If you're in a position where you can get your nose broken beyond repair a la Rory Macdonald, or where you're just in bottom position with your face getting pounded to dust, and you have no way of getting out, it's better to tap and save your brain health. Might be those last two strikes before the ref steps in that do the permanent damage.
Body shots that break ribs or leave you incapacitated are both understandable to me, if you tap out from those it's because you won't be in a position to defend yourself properly. This wasn't the case in say GSP/Serra though, GSP underestimated a guy and was getting his ass kicked so he chose to tap rather than fight back, those are the scenarios I have a problem with. Try for a sweep, try to hit a switch, lunge for a leg, do something if you're in a position to do something.
