(gif courtesy of TSGIGOR)

Rich Franklin's manager has brought to light a series of blows to the back of Franklin's head during Belfort's finishing flurry in the UFC 103 headliner that do appear to be quite illegal.

Franklin and company have kept tight-lipped about the rule infraction for fear of the complaint being received as an excuse or exemplary of poor sportsmanship, but J.T. Stewart, Franklin's manager, recently spoke with the Springfield News-Sun on the issue.  Stewart expresses his discontent for the unacknowledged infractions while stressing the importance of fighter safety and the proper enforcement of the unified rules.

“Fans are probably going to think it’s sour grapes. But it’s not. It’s about fighter safety."

"Would it have changed the outcome? 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."

“There’s been no discussion about it, none. It’s 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.”

Analyzing the step-by-step mechanics of Franklin's downfall versus Vitor, captured perfectly in the gif above, sparks up an interesting debate.  Franklin was already counting sheep when the blows landed, crippled and vulnerable from the (legal) combination that Vitor unleashed--but are the rules jettisoned when a fighter loses his legs and is obviously wobbled and out of sorts?  The easy answer is "no", but the solution to addressing the fouls becomes complicated.  A warning, which is normally issued, could be considered irrelevant given the Franklin/Belfort circumstance, where the knockdown, fouls, and finish take place in a matter of seconds.  Brock Lesnar versus Frank Mir 1 comes to mind, but referee Steve Mazagatti was seriously criticized for intervening to penalize Lesnar with no warning during what may have served as Brock Lesnar's fight-ending downpour of punches.  The fight was stopped, a point was taken away from Lesnar, action resumed on the feet, and Mir eventually capitalized by securing a leglock for the win. This segues into Stewart's point about the illegal blows being ignored because Franklin was rocked and motionless in the turtle position, clearly on the verge of being finished (which Mir was not).  It is possible to consider the scenario of the referee dividing the competitors on account of the illegal punches, warning Belfort or taking a point away, and then assessing Franklin's condition and ability to continue.  If Franklin was beyond clarity and unable to proceed, is it conceivable that his unfit condition could be due to the illegal blows to the back of the head?  Conceivable, yes.  Likely, no.  However, if that were the case, then a No Contest ruling for an unintentional foul and a rematch would be in order, and Franklin would not have a loss on his record. It's a difficult situation to form an opinion on.  The sport of MMA is still very young and somewhat unaccustomed to rendering judgement on finite details, especially when so much can happen in such a short span of time.  If this event had taken place in the UFC's backyard of Las Vegas instead of Texas, the easy and sensible answer would be to institute the NSAC's new instant replay rule, which is specifically designed for officials to break down split-seconds of action in the event that a foul may have occured and affected the outcome of a fight.

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