Fighters
Information
Information
Rules
Intentional Foul
a) Procedures: Referee shall issue a warning, after the initial warning a penalty will be issued. The penalty may be a deduction of one or more points or disqualification depending on the severity of the foul.b) The referee will stop the bout after the foul, call time and notify which contestant is being penalized and the total amount of points the contestant is being penalized.
c) Only the referee can assess a foul and points deduction.
d) Referee shall check the fouled contestant’s condition to see if he can still participate in the bout.
e) Disqualification occurs when after any combination of three fouls or if the referee determines the foul to be flagrant.
f) If an injury results that is severe enough to terminate the bout, the contestant causing the injury loses by disqualification.
g) If an intentional foul causes an injury and the bout is allowed to continue, a two-point penalty shall be assessed to the contestant causing the foul.
h) If an injury sustained by a contestant causes the contestant to be unable to continue, the injured contestant shall win the bout by a technical decision.
Unintentional Foul
a) If the bout is stopped because an unintentional foul, the referee shall determine whether the contestant who has been fouled can continue or not. The referee may order the bout to continue after an interval of not more than five minutes.b) If the referee determines either from observation or that of the ringside physician that the bout may not continue because of the injury from the unintentional foul the bout will be declared a No-Contest and the outcome shall be determined by scoring the completed rounds and the round which the referee stops the contest.
c) If after a recuperative interval of not more than five minutes, a contestant is unwilling to continue because of the claim of being hit in the groin, the contestant will lose the bout by technical knockout “TKO”.
Types of fouls in a MMA contest
1) Butting with head.2) Eye gouging of any kind.
3) Biting
4) Hair pulling
5) Fish-hooking
6) Groin attacks of any kind
7) Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent
8) Small joint manipulation
9) Striking to the spine or back of the head
10) Striking downward using the elbow. (Arcing elbow strikes are permitted)
11) Throat strikes or squeezes, including, without limitation grabbing the trachea
12) Clawing, twisting or pinching the flesh
13) Grabbing the clavicle
14) Kicking the head of a grounded opponent
15) Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent
16) Stomping on a grounded opponent
Note: A downed opponent may kick up to all legal striking points of the opponent’s body
17) Kicking to the kidney with the heel
18) Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent
19) Throwing the opponent out of the ring area
20) Spitting on an opponent
21) Holding the ropes
22) Using abusive language or illicit gestures
23) Engaging in any unsportsmanlike conduct
24) Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded to end the round
25) Attacking an opponent on or during the break
26) Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
27) Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee
28) Lack of aggressiveness, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
29) Throwing the towel during the contest
30) Interference from anyone working the corner or corner men leaving the area
Mouthpiece Rule
All contestants are required to wear a mouthpiece during competition. If the mouthpiece is dislodged during competition, the referee will call time and have the mouthpiece replaced at the first opportune moment, without interfering with the immediate action.Restarting Fighters
Following any medical time-out, or if one or both opponents are under the ropes on the apron of the ring, time will be called by the referee and both fighters will be positioned in the middle of the ring and assume the same position as prior to the time out.Appearance and attire
a) Male fighters must wear a groin protector to protect them against injury from a foul blow.b) All fighters must wear shin guards.
c) Female fighters must wear a breast protector and submit a negative pregnancy test taken within the past fourteen days from a doctor or certified laboratory to the promoter of the event a minimum seven days prior to the event.
d) Each contest shall wear MMA shorts, boxing shorts, kickboxing shorts or biking shorts. Shorts must be approved by the promoter representative.
e) No “Gi”, kimono, or shirts are permitted.
f) No shoes are permitted.
g) No body grease, gels, balms or lotions may be applied. Vaseline may be applied to the facial area at ringside in the presence of an inspector, referee, or a person designated by the commission.
h) Taping of hands, wrists and ankle is permitted.
i) Neoprene joint supports only, no metal supports can ever be worn.
j) Finger and toenails must be trimmed.
k) Contestant may not wear any equipment that does not pass the inspector, referee, or a person designated by the commission approval.
Glove specifications
a) Amateur mixed martial arts contestants must wear gloves that weight not less than six ounces and not more than eight ounces.b) The gloves will be supplied by the promoter.
c) Both contestants will wear same size gloves.
d) Gloves must be inspected and passed by the inspector, referee or promoter representative prior starting the bout.
Specification for hand-wraps or bandages on hands for mixed martial arts
a) The bandages on each contestant’s hands shall be restricted to soft gauze type cloth not more than thirteen yards in length and two inches in width, held in place by not more than ten feet of surgeon’s tape, one inch in width for each hand.b) The bandages should be evenly distributed across the hand.
c) Bandages and tapes shall be placed on contestant’s hands in the dressing room and must be inspected by the inspector or commission representative
d) The manager or second of the opponent fighter may elect to be present when hands are being wrapped.
e) Under no circumstances are gloves to be placed on the hands of a contestant until checked by the inspector or commission representative.
Rubber Gloves
All seconds and coach working in the corner must wear rubber gloves.Types of bout results
1) Submission (Tap Out - Contestant physically uses their hands to indicate they no longer wish to continue. Verbal tap out – contestant verbally announces to the referee that they do not wish to continue)2) Knockout (KO) – failure to rise from the canvas
3) Technical knockout (TKO) – (a) referee stops the bout because contestants can no longer defend themselves; or (b) ringside physician advises referee to stop bout; or (c) when an injury is severe enough to terminate the bout.
4) Decision via scorecards:
Unanimous – all three referees score the bout for the same contestant.
Split decision – two judges score the bout for one contestant and one judge score for the opponent.
Majority Decision – when two judges score the bout for one contestant and one judge scores the bout a draw.
Draws – when all three judges score the bout a draw or two judges score the bout a draw.
5) Disqualification – when an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul is severe enough to terminate the bout.
6) Forfeit – when a contestant fails to begin competition or prematurely ends the contest for reason other than injury or tap out.
7) Technical Draw – (a) When an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul causes the injured contestant to be unable to continue and the injured contestant is even or behind on the score cards at the time of the stoppage; (b) when an injury sustained during competition as a result of an unintentional foul causes the injured contestant to be unable to continue with the results of the scorecards being a draw.
8) Technical decision – when the bout is prematurely stopped due to an injury and a contestant is leading on the scorecards.
9) No contest – when a contestant is prematurely stopped due to accidental injury and a sufficient number of rounds have not been completed to render a decision based via the scorecards.
Number of rounds required for amateur mixed martial arts bouts
Amateur bouts will be three rounds of three minutes each with a ninety second rest period that includes a fifteen second warning signal.Suspensions and mandatory rest period
a) Sixty-day suspension for a knockout “KO”.b) Thirty-day suspension for a technical knockout “TKO”.
c) Throwing the mouthpiece into the audience will result in a ninety-day suspension.
d) Physician’s suspension – (a) whatever length of time the physician designates after check-up that will allow sufficient time for contestant to be physically able to compete; (b) Failure to comply with post fight examination by the attending physician will result in a minimum of ninety days suspension.
Seconds duties when working in a corner
a) There may be two licensed seconds positioned in each corner of a ring.b) No person other than the contestants and referee shall enter the ring during a bout.
c) The referee will stop the contest if an unauthorized person enters the ring during a round.
d) Only one second may enter the ring to tend a fighter between rounds.
e) There may be no loud yelling or profanity from anyone working the corner.
f) If the coach or second leaves the designated area the fighter will be disqualified.
g) A fighter getting knocked out of a ring and onto the floor must get back into the ring without assistance from anyone working the corner.
h) Any person violating any rule working the corner will be disqualified for the remainder of the event and suspended for a minimum of sixty days.
Disciplinary action
a) If the contestant fails to appear in a contest in which they signed a bout agreement to appear shall be suspended immediately for a six months period.b) The contestant who files a certificate from a physician stating they are unable to fulfill a bout agreement because of physical disability, shall be given a medical suspension for a period of six months.
c) If the contestant makes the weigh-in and doesn’t honor the contestant bout by not showing for the bout, they shall be immediately suspended for six months.
d) The inspector or commission representative may suspend a contestant for failing any drug test administered at the event.
e) A contestant, manager, trainer, coach or any representative of the contestant may not verbally harass any official representing the MMA event, before, during or after the event. This includes but is not limited to an inspector, referee, judge, timekeeper, physician, commission member or anyone assigned by or representing the MMA event. Any contestant or person representing the contestant violating this rule may cause them or the contestant to be suspended for a period no longer than one year.
f) A contestant, manager, trainer, coach or any representative of the contestant may not physically abuse any official representing the MMA event, before, during or after the event. This includes but is not limited to an inspector, referee, judge, timekeeper, physician, commission member or anyone assigned by or representing the MMA event. Any contestant or person representing the contestant violating this rule may cause them or the contestant to be suspended indefinitely.