The UFC and Violence: Why Ilia Topuria Did His Job by Knocking His Opponent to the Ground

Ilia Topuria is now a double UFC champion . His victory over Charles Oliveira allows him to hold the Lightweight belt, after having vacated the Featherweight title won against Alexandre Volkanovski and successfully defended it against Max Holloway. Three consecutive knockouts against three great legends of the most important MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) company in the world, which places the Spanish-Georgian as the great face of the UFC . This latest success has generated controversy in Spain, exhibited on social networks, due to the way Topuria ended the fight: hitting Oliveira in the face while he was motionless and lying on the ground.

The scene is violent and extremely harsh . Analyzing just that five-second cut, we see Topuria executing two hammer blows (closed fist and impact with the back of the hand from top to bottom). Charles Oliveira had been knocked out earlier by the first punch of the combination executed by the Spanish-Georgian. The Brazilian didn't respond to the Spaniard's two finishing blows , nor did he even move his arms. He was asleep, with a bloody face, an open gash, and several swollen areas. Once there was no reaction, the referee stopped the fight.

Criticism was quick to arrive. Topuria was labeled a coward . It's the rule we've all heard: you don't hit someone when they're down . In the ultimate contact sport, boxing , it's prohibited. Even the most violently fascinated fighter won't find it very appealing to see a fighter take such a beating with no chance of reaction. So far, everyone agrees. Now comes the plot twist. Topuria did the right thing by using the hammer fist as a finishing method . That's his job.

The controversy is new in Spain, but as old as the international popularity of MMA itself . Curiously, it was in Las Vegas, the epicenter of the UFC this weekend. It wasn't Topuria's fight that drew the spotlight for the hammer blows, but rather the confrontation between Gregory Rodrigues and Jack Hermansson . The Brazilian fighter knocked the Norwegian down with a right hand; he fell with his arms outstretched, and Rodrigues executed a hammer fist before the referee stopped the fight. His opponent was defenseless.

For many spectators, the blow was violent —more so than Topuria's, it must be said—and, above all, unnecessary. Rodrigues explained his version of events, free of any remorse: "First of all, I don't care what people say. When you step into the cage , we sign the contract, and we can do anything. If Jack were in my position, he would have done the same thing. Why would I be angry with him? He did his duty . I hope he's okay; he's a warrior like me. I'm not going to stop until the referee says enough. I simply did my job, and I'll continue to do so . That's what I do, that's what he does, that's how it is."

There are several truths, and some nuances, in his explanations. Indeed, all UFC fighters would have acted the same way. The fight in this format only ends when the referee decides that one of the opponents is unable to react sufficiently and that his physical safety is at stake . That is, he has to conclusively verify that he is KO'd, and, in practice, This can only be seen with the opponent executing some kind of blow and finding that he cannot defend himself.

The importance of the referee

Why is the referee in charge? He's the authority inside the octagon. It makes no sense to expect the opponent, in a split second and with adrenaline pumping, to stop the fight because he thinks his opponent is submitted. They sign a contract and gamble a prize money for a win. Could Topuria have seen that Oliveira was already KO'd and that those hammer fists were unnecessary? There have been cases, few, but cases . There have also been examples of fighters who have forgiven their opponent on the ground and, a minute later, gone to sleep to let their opponent recover.

Topuria himself came close to a knockout against Jai Herbert in 2022 after a tremendous kick, but the Briton overthought it and offered precious hundredths of a second that allowed the Spaniard to recover. A round later, Ilia was celebrating his victory. By the way, it was clear at this point that his opponent was out of the fight and didn't land any more punches than necessary.

Unlike boxing, there is no such thing as a count. The referee decides everything (the scoring, if the fight doesn't end in some kind of KO or submission, is decided afterward by the judges) solely based on his interpretation. This has led to numerous errors. For example , Herb Dean, perhaps the most high-profile of referees , stopped the fight between Ben Askren and Robbie Lawler when he understood that the latter had succumbed to a submission hold . Lawler, as soon as the bell rang, stood up as if nothing had happened, demanding an explanation . Dean's face said it all: "I'm sorry, I don't understand." Once the referee stops the fight, the result is immutable.

As Rodrigues said, "I was just doing my job," although he said something that wasn't entirely correct. Not everything is allowed. There are many techniques or strikes prohibited in the UFC . You can review them in their rules. Some moves have been banned, or authorized , over time. Now, for example, eye pokes, downward elbow strikes, and blows to the back of the head are not allowed.

The debate erupted in Spain, and so far, Ilia Topuria has not responded to the controversy. Barely a minute after the famous scene of the punches on the ground, Charles Oliveira recovered and embraced Topuria, sharing a respectful moment common in UFC post-fights. The two had already maintained a good relationship.

MMA is a violent sport and not for everyone's stomach . And there's little to argue with those who claim that the savage aggression seen at UFC events is too much to be considered a mass sport ( El País newspaper, for example, omits MMA information due to editorial policy, or, as Antoni Daimiel shared in X , the broadcasting of such images should be regulated as indicated by the General Law of Audiovisual Communication).

The acceptance of violence as a spectacle is a legitimate debate. But Topuria will throw that blow at his opponent again to force the referee to stop the fight, as the rules dictate, and as he should. It wasn't a cowardly blow, nor was it sadistic. Oliveira would have done exactly the same thing if the situation were reversed. Insert the name of any male or female fighter in the company. It's your job.