The GLORY 19 main event was a World Heavyweight Championship fight between defending champion Rico Verhoeven and his challenger Errol âThe Bonecrusherâ Zimmerman.
They are two big men and, as anyone who has watched combat sports for any length of time will know, a heavyweight fight between men of this size can end in an instant. That was the case in Verhoeven vs. Zimmerman as the heated action came to a sudden and abrupt end in the second round.
Zimmerman, who had endured heavy pressure from Verhoeven for much of the fight up until that point, was on the attack and elected to try a spinning back-kick to Verhoevenâs midsection. But Verhoeven evaded the technique and as Zimmerman returned to his stance something in his right knee gave way and caused him to collapse to the canvas. He held his knee and told the referee there was a problem.
At this point the referee took control and sent Verhoeven to a neutral corner. Some fans were then surprised to see Zimmerman given an eight-count, as if he had been knocked down. Once Zimmerman failed to beat the count, the referee ordered the clock to be stopped and the ringside physician brought in to make an examination.
This procedure was in fact in accordance with the rules. which state that when an injury is âaccidentally self-inflicted and the fighterâs safety is at risk in that he seems incapable of intelligently defending himselfâ the referee will administer the mandatory eight-count then order the timekeeper to stop the clock and bring the event physician in to evaluate the injured fighter.
If the physician or the injured fighter himself determines that it is not possible for the fight to continue, the fighter will be held to have lost by way of Technical Knockout (TKO).
The current rule replaced an old rule which allowed for the doctor to be brought in but without the fighter taking an eight-count. It was felt that the old rule was unfair in that the fight was paused and the injured fighter obtained a break in the action without suffering any penalty.
When a fighter suffers an injury from a legal strike it is not all together uncommon to see him turn his back on his opponent, simultaneously shielding himself, and indicating that something is wrong.
Under the rules, at this point the fighter is not âintelligently defending himselfâ so the referee cannot allow the attacking fighter to continue. Unless the injured fighter immediately turns to face his opponent with an effective fighting posture, the referee is obliged to stop the fight and declare a TKO.
But when the damage occurs from a foul or an accidentally self-inflicted injury the referee handles the situation differently. If the injury results from a foul, time will be stopped and the and the fighter will be given time to recover.
But in the event of an accidental self-inflicted injury - such as a sprained ankle, separated shoulder or damaged knee - it is possible that the fighter can continue. And so the current rule achieves a compromise whereby the injured fighter suffers a knockdown penalty by way of the refereeâs eight-count but can then be seen by a physician and have a determination made as to whether the fight can continue or not.
Much of the discussion surrounding the end of the Verhoeven vs. Zimmerman fight has centered on the fact that it seemed to take a long time for the physician to examine Zimmerman and inform the referee that the fight could not continue, especially as Zimmerman was downed and seemingly unable to return to his feet.
Itâs a fair point; certainly there is an argument that the physicianâs conclusion could have been reached within a few moments and the resulting TKO could have been announced sooner.
This is the first such incident in GLORY and it shows the benefit of experience and having rules pressure-tested in a live situation. It may be that some modification is now made to the rules to take account of circumstances such as those which arose in Verhoeven vs. Zimmerman.
Cory Schafer,
Director of Regulatory Affairs, GLORY Sports International,
ISKA President
