The Kim Couture fight in retrospect

The shocking photos of Kim Couture’s mangled jaw have replaced those of James Thompson’s partially severed ear as the disturbing fight images of the moment. You know that her injury was especially ugly when these pictures are seen not only on MMA websites but the sort of sites that cater to bloodthirsty degenerates who consider autopsy photos ‘entertaining’. Steve Cofield from Yahoo Sports was the first to raise questions about how the fight was sanctioned and conducted, and a number of others have followed suit. While we applaud and share their concerns for Couture’s safety—just as we do for all prizefighters--its important to evaluate them in some sort of context. Herewith, we review the significant questions being raised and try to provide some answers to them.

Was the Nevada athletic commission wrong to sanction the fight in light of Kim Couture’s professional inexperience?

It’s hard to make a case that there was anything improper about the sanctioning process. Both Couture and her opponent, Kim Rose, were making their professional debut after a number of amateur fights. Given that Couture’s husband is Randy Couture, you could make the case that she actually had a qualitative edge in experience and training. Typically, the fights that are refused sanctioning in Nevada are those with a severe competitive imbalance—the proposed matchup between Butterbean and Mark Hunt at one of the Las Vegas PRIDE events comes immediately to mind. Fighters have to start somewhere, and there’s nothing to suggest that the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) was wrong to sign off on this matchup involving two competitors of a similar level of experience.

Why was the fight scheduled for three five minute rounds instead of three minute rounds typically seen in womens' MMA?

That’s a good question, but there’s nothing in the NSAC rules mandating three minute rounds for womens' MMA. In fact, a bout with 3 minute rounds could very well be in violation of NSAC regulations. Here’s the relevant passage with emphasis added:

     NAC 467.7954 Duration. (NRS 467.030) Except with the approval of the Commission or its Executive Director:
     1.  A nonchampionship contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must not exceed three rounds in duration.
     2.  A championship contest of mixed martial arts must be five rounds in duration.
     3.  A period of unarmed combat in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must be 5 minutes in duration. A period of rest following a period of unarmed combat in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must be 1 minute in duration.

In other words, the scheduling of the bout for three five minute rounds was completely ‘by the book’. With more women competing in MMA this regulation should probably be amended to provide for different round lengths for their fights.

Should Randy Couture (who was Kim’s second) have stopped the fight? Should the ref or ringside physician have stopped the fight?

With the caveat that its difficult to second guess those most closely involved with the action, the answer to the first question is “maybeâ€?. No doubt Randy Couture asked his wife/fighter if she wanted to continue, to which she apparently answered in the affirmative. You could make a compelling case that Randy should have overruled his fighter in this instance. Part of a cornerman’s duty is to make this sort of call when necessary to protect the well being of his fighter. While we’re at it, this sort of personal relationship between a cornerman and his fighter might not be a good situation in itself. The last thing you want to see in a situation like this is for some strange marital dynamic undermining the objectivity of the fighter/corner relationship.

As to the second question, in Nevada the referee has sole authority to stop a fight. Furthermore, the NSAC regulations give him a wide degree of latitude due to their vague wording:

The referee shall determine whether a contest or exhibition should be stopped because of an injury to an unarmed combatant.

There’s also a provision dealing with the risk of serious injury:

The referee may stop a contest or exhibition at any stage if he considers it too one-sided or if either unarmed combatant is in such a condition that to continue might subject him to serious injury.

Again, its difficult to second guess the man closest to the action. There isn’t a provision in the NSAC rules to stop a fight because an injury ‘looks nasty’. Furthermore, its debatable whether a broken jaw is an injury that warrants an automatic stoppage. There’s a good deal of boxing precedent that has seen fighters continue with a broken jaw, most famously Muhammad Ali in his first fight with Ken Norton. The notion that a fighter shouldn’t repeatedly take punches to a broken jaw may seem self evident, but that’s why we’re writing and reading about the fights and not competing in them. If the fighter and her corner didn’t want to stop the fight its difficult to suggest that the ref did anything improper in allowing it to continue.

Is this fight being evaluated under a different standard than would be used for male fighters in a similar situation?

Undoubtedly, and whether or not this is appropriate is a subject of much debate. On one hand, if women are allowed to fight in the first place (and they certainly should be) they deserve to be treated as fighters first. Assuming the rules don’t stipulate any differing standards (and in Nevada they don’t) gender shouldn’t play a part in how a fight is officiated. If a referee wouldn’t stop a fight if a male fighter suffered a broken jaw, he shouldn’t do so for a female fighter. Kim Couture put in the time and effort to train to fight and to prepare for this matchup. If she wanted to keep fighting with an injury that wouldn’t result in a stoppage for a male fighter she’s earned the right to do so. To do otherwise is an insult to her as a fighter and is nothing more than outdated patriarchialism.

On the other hand, the mentality that women shouldn’t fight still exists throughout much of our society. A nasty injury suffered by a female fighter—particularly in the still evolving sport of MMA—would be a valuable weapon for those who’d like to ban the sport. Clearly, these images aren’t pleasant to look at even for an experienced fight observer and would be even less so for a non-fan. It could be argued that there was a bigger principle at play here than what was best for the fighter, and that is the overall good of the sport.

The reality, however, is that there is always going to be a certain percentage of the population that just doesn’t enjoy fighting. There’s going to be an additional percentage that doesn’t think women should be allowed to fight. No matter what kind of ‘spin’ or PR treatment this demographic is given they’re never going to like fighting. Seeing Kim Couture fighting with a broken jaw may serve to reinforce their disdain for the sport, but there’s really no reason that decisions on how to properly conduct a fight should be made for the benefit of this group.

Conclusion:

The only thing that may be subject to question is the decision of Kim Couture’s corner to allow her to continue with the broken jaw. She’s subject to a different standard in this regard—not one based on gender but rather on experience. If Muhammad Ali, the world heavyweight champion and greatest prizefighter in history, says he wants to continue with a broken jaw you let him. If a fighter suffers that same injury in his(or in this case her) pro debut, the same decision might not be the correct  one no matter what the fighter wants. 

As far as the regulatory oversight of the fight, there’s nothing to suggest that it was handled inappropriately at any level. While you can second guess the referee’s decision to not stop the fight, he was well within his rights to allow it to continue. Certainly there should be some deliberation regarding the need to amend specific regulations for the benefit of female fighters, but under the existing guidelines there’s little room to criticize any of the officials involved in the fight.

A male fighter who’d ‘gone the distance’ despite suffering a broken jaw would have become a cult hero overnight. Kim Couture deserves similar respect for her toughness and heart. While a case could be made that the fight should have been stopped early, clearly she didn’t want to quit which is a testimony to the sort of will that should be admired in any fighter. While its important to always be mindful of fighter safety, in this instance its also important not to forget the courage of the fighter involved.