[Done Deal DR]

A lot of people are saying that because this was the first MMA fight on network TV that Elite XC and CBS didn't want any more violence than necessary. The problem with that logic is that MMA is a SPORT first and foremost. A sport that has rules, the unified rules. You can't go and change the rules for any situation just because that will suit the promoter and broadcaster.

Stand up from side control? Ridiculous. That is a dominant position and for all we know JT could have snapped Kimbo's arm with a Kimura 10 seconds later.

Ref threatening to stand them up at the end of round 2 while JT has a crucifix on Kimbo and throwing unanswered punches and elbows for 1:20-2:00? No, the rules state that a fighter must be intelligently defending themselves, not blocking them with their face over and over, and...well...over while their arms are trapped.

Calling the fight standing after a total of 4 punches landed on JT and he was still intelligently moving out to get himself composed? I've never seen that happen, and to blame it on it being the first MMA event on network TV is BS. I've seen boxers get beat to shit, probably suffering long-term health damage, on network TV over a decade ago. I'm not one to call fixes, but that was clearly a decision to call the fight as soon as Kimbo had any sort of control of the fight. 4 shots? Ok, call it! That call seems to suit Gary Shaw the best, strange.

Then on the Lawler/Smith fight, a fight that would have went down as a classic regardless of organization/promoter, the rules state that after a foul the affected fighter has 5 minutes to recover from said foul. Smith told the ringside doctor that he couldn't see at the time but wanted to take his 5 minutes to recover. The fight was stopped after he had just 1-2 minutes of hit allotted time. You can see he was clearly fine and ready to compete just a minute after the fight was called and the fight could have continued per the unified rules. Those are the rules, the ringside doctor checked the wrong eye TWICE! You can see clearly that Smith is like "No, the other eye". The doctor couldn't even discern which eye was "damaged", and all Smith wanted was his allotted time. SHAME...like I said, would have went down as a classic.

The point is that rules can't be changed in MMA because it happens to be airing on a certain channel, etc. Rules are rules, and they were severely taken out of context during last night's Elite XC/CBS event. They may be able to pull that garbage on people that have never seen MMA, and while I'm sure that even some of them were calling bullshit and fix and all that, it will never fly with those of us who understand MMA and understand the rules of MMA.