After Michael Bisping cracked Jorge Rivera with an illegal knee at UFC 127 on Sunday, why is it that the ringside doctors, and referee Marc Goddard examining Rivera, left the final decision to continue the fight up to the man who just got kneed in the head and lists his occupation as professional fighter?

There aren't many fighters who'll say: "Actually, I'm not feeling well. I don't think I can continue." It's the job of the referee and the doctors to make these calls, and they failed on Sunday.

There is no way that Rivera should have been allowed to continue, regardless of his wishes or how much praise lapped on him for showing 'heart'.

Rivera was allowed to continue and took more punishment without reason. I'm far from a medical expert, but I'm sure getting punched in the head shortly after being concussed isn't a good thing.

The fighter should have no say in the matter; he shouldn't even be asked whether he feels he can continue or not. If they want out, they'll make it known, but short of them saying, "I'm done, let's end this," the referee and the doctors need to take control of the situation and make the decision that is in the best interest of the fighter.

Asking a dazed and confused fighter if he wants to continue in the biggest fight of his career doesn't suffice.

While there have been some examples of correct decisions in regards to doctor stoppages of late — the Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva fight as one example — we've

also seen Josh Koscheck be allowed to continue with his right eye nearly swollen shut, punctuated by commentator Joe Rogan admonishing the doctor to get out of the cage.

Fans don't necessarily want to see a fight stopped by a cut or a doctor's decision, but if MMA is to continue making strides towards mainstream acceptance, we should be encouraging ringside doctors and referees to make the difficult calls when it comes to fighter safety.

We're seeing more and more scrutiny over collision injury in football and rugby, with rule changes and heavier penalties coming into play for hits that endanger players. Fans of those sports are, for the most part, behind the move to increase safety, and we need to have everyone involved with this sport thinking the same way.

MMA is already stigmatised for the brutal nature of the action, and having moments where fighters who are clearly not fit to continue, only gives the critics more ammunition.

Referees don't give fighters who suffer a flash knockout a chance to recover and decide if they want to continue, the same judgment should have been exercised in regards to Rivera on Sunday.

It was clear that Bisping's knee did some serious damage, and that Rivera was a little less than normal when he finally made it to his feet, so why give him the option? Rivera isn't a guy to back down, so keep him out of the decision-making process and do what is in his best interest.

Goddard gets a thumbs-up for taking a point away from Bisping right away, which was the right thing to do, but a thumbs-down for not taking full control of the situation in the cage when it was his responsibility to do just that.

Doctors and referees are paid to protect fighters, and fighter safety must be foremost in the cage.

We need to ensure that no one suffers a critical injury in the cage, and if that means frustrating some people with a stoppage in the name of safety, so be it.

Protect the fighters at all cost, even when they aren't willing to protect themselves.