Nevada adopts most of the new Unified Rules
NAC executive director Bob Bennett: “I don’t think it’s in the best interest of fighters for the rules to be different in different commissions.”
A dream team consisting of fighters (Randy Couture, Jeremy Horn, Matt Hughes), referees (’Big’ John McCarthy, Robert Hinds, Kevin McDonald), regulators (Sean Wheelock, Matt Woodruff, Brian Dunn), and Dr. David Watson, created an updated set of Unified Rules. They were overwhelmingly passed by the Association of Boxing Commissions in 2016.
ABC president and regulation pioneer Mike Mazzulli recently published the full Unified Rules of Martial Arts:
The new rules include the elimination of heel kicks to the kidney from bottom Guard, the elimination of reaching towards a fighter’s eyes with your fingertips, ending the prohibition on clavicle grabbing, clarified judging standards, and controversially, a new definition of a grounded opponent.
Under the old definition, any body part other than the soles of the feet touching the ground was down, which means knees to the head are illegal; fighters would take advantage, putting a finger down to avoid a possible knee to the head, and ironically, putting their head in danger as it is uncovered. Under the new definition, a knee touching is down, or if both of the soles of the feet are touching, both hands (or fists) have to be touching. The ABC medical committee approved the new definition, as did Association of Ringside Physicians president Larry Lovelace.
Some states including California, Mohegan Sun, Kansas, and New York, have adopted the new rules. However, other states including Ohio, Missouri, and New Jersey have pointedly stuck to the old definition of down, and the prohibition on heel kicks.
The Nevada Athletic Commission has now begun the process of adopting the new Unified Rules, with the exception of the grounded fighter rule. Nevada now has a third definition.
We certainly didn’t agree with the both soles and both hands being down for a grounded opponent, said Bennett to Marc Raimondi for MMA Fighting. We have one hand — weight-bearing — with two soles of the feet as the definition. We think that fighters are putting themselves in harms way when they have to put both hands down with both feet.
All real sports have unified rules. After Nevada’s latest vote, MMA now has three definitions of a downed fighter.
I don’t think it’s in the best interest of fighters for the rules to be different in different commissions, conceded Bennett. I think it would be a good thing for us to vote on or agree on what’s in the best interest of the fighter. It’s a tough enough sport as it is, let alone having different rule sets in different states.
Thing is, there was a vote. And it was voted or overwhelmingly.