Opinion: Kongo-Barry a Perfect Argument for Letting Fighters Finish

Referee Dan Miragliotta has refined his trigger finger. | Photo: Dave Mandel

I’ve often said that my definition of a quick stoppage is if the loser can complain to the referee within two seconds of the bout being waved off. There’s a fine line, naturally, and nobody wants to see fighters get hurt, but let’s face it -- a clean, no-questions-linger knockout is good for everyone involved, and it’s what we want to see. Anything short often only creates lingering controversy.

Referee Dan Miragliotta did a perfect job in preventing himself from stopping the Cheick Kongo-Patrick Barry bout at UFC Live 4 on Sunday, jumping in, then jumping away when he initially wanted to pull Barry off the battered Kongo. Seconds later, Kongo rallied with a fight-ending uppercut to pull off one of the most shocking comebacks in MMA history. Barry, out cold with his right leg folded underneath him in Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic-like fashion, didn’t complain afterward because he was out cold. To his credit, Barry didn’t protest Miragliotta’s slight bump into him during the initial contact between them.

Kongo-Barry is a perfect example of why referees need to let a fight go and not intervene when a guy is being mounted and punched endlessly, though few are connecting on anything but a full or partial glove. Think Fabricio Werdum-Brandon Vera at UFC 85, which was, ironically, officiated by Miragliotta, who has since refined his trigger finger. Referees have a tough job to do, but I’ve never seen a fighter complain when he was knocked out cleanly -- at least not until his corner told him.

As Bernard Hopkins said, “You play golf, but I don’t ‘play’ boxing.” This is the same line of work, folks, and Kongo-Barry is how the hand should be played. Let them go until they’re done, and save the post-fight kvetching for the message boards, not from loser to referee.

Jason Probst can be reached at Jason@jasonprobst.com or twitter.com/jasonprobst.