Here's the link to the fight by the way..... http://www.mmalinker.com/xfighters.php?name=Wanderlei+Silva&vidid=5018&vidt=i
I was reading on the Cage Rage website (a British MMA promotion for those who don't know) and i was looking at the road and it says that it is a foul to strike the throat including grabbing the trachea so im assuming that it should have been rules illegal. The rules are the same for the UFC as Cage Rage uses the unified rules. Unless what he was doing doesn't qualify as holdong the trachea.
I didn't think you could "grab" the throat. Meaning: having your thumb on one side of the throat and your other 4 fingers on the other side. That is what he did. I'm also thinking if this was legal then why wouldn't we see more of this from the top position???? I've never once seen any fighter do that in the octogan.
Well, i suppose the referee could have seen it as Wanderlei just holding him down at the top of his chest somehow. It wouldn't have mattered anyway as Jardine was finished. Maybe if they were standing and someone is held against the cage by the throat it would be called as a foul.
Looking at it again Silvas hand looked like it was on his collar bone or shoulder and just his thumb was on the throat area so maybe the ref considered it to be legal.
After watching it a few times, I don't think it was that bad. His hand wasn't completely on his throat and came off a few times.
Definatly legal, he wasn't looking to crush his trachea or anything, just posting there for balance more than anything.
If it is an illegal move than thats the dumbest rule I've heard. You can choke someone by using a RNC using all your strength but can't put your hands around their neck? Thats ******ed. You can't even exert half the force around the throat by using hands than using your forearms (or even legs)
RNC is a blood choke, or strangulation, and is way way safer than an air choke. Also, air chokes can take FOREVER to end a fight, and they can permanently damage a fighter's trachea. It makes a lot of sense.
