Should illegal blows during MMA fight go ignored?

“Fans are probably going to think it’s sour grapes,” he said. “But it’s not. It’s about fighter safety.”

Since its transformation from spectacle to sport, fighter safety has remained a No. 1 priority for those who have invested in the sport of mixed martial arts. Like most organizations, the UFC has never had a competitor die or even suffer a serious injury in the cage.

The reason? Promoters, primarily the UFC, have embraced regulation and implemented a lengthy list of rules designed to protect competitors from potentially dangerous maneuvers such as head butts, eye pokes and groin shots.

At UFC 103, Franklin suffered such illegal blows – punches to the back of the head – but because the strikes came after he had already been knocked down (with a legal punch) and was on his hands and knees, just about everyone dismissed the illegal shots.

Even if Franklin was likely to lose anyway – which seems to be the general consensus – isn’t it worth discussing? Should Franklin have been given time to recover? It’s worth some dialogue, Stewart said.

“Would it have changed the outcome?” Stewart asked. “Maybe not. But this is about fighter safety. This isn’t just about Rich Franklin; it’s about Rich and every other fighter knowing the rules will be enforced, whether the fight is about to be stopped or not.”

The shots obviously rattled Franklin, who was coherent but a bit dazed in the night’s post-press conference – a full hour after the fight. Stewart said that even after Franklin’s two violent TKO losses to Anderson Silva, Franklin “was fine within 10 minutes and knowing what’s going on.”

So what would Stewart like to see happen?

“There’s been no discussion about it,” he said. “None. It’s a disappointing. The commissions, referees, fighters – everyone could have improved the safety of the sport by examining and discussing this situation. But because most people thought the outcome was a foregone conclusion, everyone conveniently ignored it.”

Despite being fully healed from the fight, Franklin will take some extended time off, Stewart said. Franklin (26-5), who’s already headlined three UFC event in 2009, will likely return in the spring of 2010.

Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, voted best media outlet in the 2008 World MMA Awards. For the latest mixed-martial-arts news, go to www.mmajunkie.com.