The same argument has been used when striking an opponent. To keep hitting your foe until the ref stops you.
However when Nate Marquardt had Maia knocked out we didn't see him land the Dan Henderson like bomb that he could of.
Marquardt showed respect for his opponent and I appreciate his sportsmanship.
I don't disagree. But I also think a submission hold and a strike are different, given the fact that a) you are looking at your opponent's face/head when striking and KNOW if they're in trouble, unlike with most subs and b) because of potential long-term health ramifications of a tendon/ligament vs. the human brain.
Again, that's another reason why the referees need to be the best and on their games.
Remember UFC 1? Ken Shamrock was submitted by Royce Gracie, who released the hold. The referee didn't see the tap and didn't know what to do. Shamrock tried to pretend nothing happened and petitioned the ref to continue. Or Murilo Bustamante vs. Matt Lindland. A gongshow. Like the myriad fighters who get knocked out, then recover quickly and claim they were fine, contrary to all evidence.
Remember, this is mixed martial arts, not chess. There will be some injuries. And unlike boxing, the UFC rarely punishes guys for losses. Before we sissify the sport, let's first try and get the best officials in place with a clear set of rules for what is acceptable or not, along with penalties that fighters will face if they break them. (Use Henderson vs. Bisping and Rampage vs. Silva, among dozens of others for strikes after-the-fact and Palhares, Babalu, BJ Penn, Shamrock, etc. for submissions held too long.)
Q: What do you do when a guy won't tap or an injury occurs quickly. (Shinya Aoki vs. everyone, Mir vs. Sylvia, Sakuraba vs. Renzo, Hughes vs. Royce, etc.?)
I think that would be a great roll to get Big John McCarthy re-integrated into mainstream MMA - a director of officiating who trains the referees and works with the various athletic commissions on supplementary punishment for fighters, as well as suspensions for poor officiating.
The athletic commissions, who still don't know the sport of MMA very well, keep sending out these inept officials - we're looking at you, Mssrs. Mazagatti, Miragliatta, Lavigne and Mulhall - and the promoters, fighters, fans, sponsors and even lawmakers, etc., have no say in it. The continued growth of a resurgent MMA depends on details like that; without proper training and oversight of judges and in-ring officials, the downfall or relegation to niche sport/freakshow will be inevitable.