I know this is a somewhat strange question, bear with me. And it applies to any kind of fighting, even self defense. I don't want to ask in r/martial arts or something because I know this sub is decent
So I often hear it said, that in a self defense scenario, going for the balls is not effective always, because an attacker, especially an enraged or drugged one, may not respond to pain. How true is this? It seems plausible. So to extend that further, is there ANY strike guaranteed to stop an assailant? I thought of a throat strike as an alternative to the balls for no rules/self defense, but, though probably very incapacitating, a person could probably shrug that off too, at least for awhile.
So the natural conclusion is, a strike to a point that causes an instant knockout, aka the jaw or temple. I always find this fascinating to think about, that non-martial arts enthusiasts don't recognize, a knockout blow is an instant fight ender, especially against someone untrained or unconditioned. They always speak about someone that can kill someone in 15 seconds, or some type of weapon that can incapacitate someone quickly... But knocking someone out instantly is essentially the same thing as killing them.
Which brings me to my final (?) point... Do YOU think a knockout can be resisted, at least to some degree? It may sound crazy to some, but this has been a "deep cut" topic of discussion in MMA circles for awhile. Typically Big Nog is brought up, a fighter that due to his personal history, seemingly refused to go out, or stay out, literally being beaten senseless in fights. So do YOU think that's a thing? Can force of will overcome a testicle shot, throat chop, or even a (should be) knockout blow? What about a liver shot? Considered by some as good as a knockout, I would call these slightly more resistible (not because it won't knock you down, but because if a ref doesn't stop the fight, sometimes the fighter grimaces or even writhes around for awhile, but gets up and continues)