There will still be no knees the head of fallen opponents.
That’s the major news out of Montreal, where The Association of Boxing Commissions met to make some slight revisions to Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
It’s unclear what this might mean. The Nevada and California commissions, two of the most powerful MMA regulatory bodies, did not attend the meeting. Forty other commissions, however, did make the trek.
The Unified Rules have been used as regulations across the United States and Canada since their creation in 2001. The rules are often cited as being a major reason for the sudden explosion in the sport’s popularity.
It’s unclear if California and Nevada will adopt the rules. UFC President Dana White, in fact, made it clear that he does not intend to let changes happen anytime soon in a recent Yahoo!Sports.com interview.
Here’s a snip from White:
“There’s going to be a fight. And you know I don’t roll over easily.”
ABC officials said there was discussion of allowing knees to a downed opponent, but it was determined to be too radical for the dozens of commissions across the country just getting involved in the sport.
The main revision made this week was a clear definition of the “back of a competitor’s head” as the “crown of the head down the centerline of the skill into the spine, with a one inch variance to each side.” This means strikes to behind the ear would be legal.
The new definition is not without its critics.
“Behind the ear should be illegal, period,” Arizona commissioner John Montano told Sherdog.com in a recent report. “If you want to give one inch and the guy says, ‘I’m sorry. I missed it by an inch.’ No, I’m not going to answer to somebody that missed it by an inch. It’s very simple. Don’t hit behind the ear and you won’t miss it by an inch.”
Among the creators of the revisions was legendary referee “Big” John McCarthy. He is in favor of the new definition, noting it would prevent strikes after one fighter takes another’s back.
Other highlights out of Montreal include:
Permitting downward elbow strikes.
Making the smothering of the mouth or nose a foul, thus preventing a fighter from using their hand to alter an opponent’s breathing.
Clarifying the recovery period allowed to a fighter on the receiving end of a foul. A fighter who has been struck with a low blow will have up to five minutes to recover. A doctor will determine is a recovery period is granted on all other fouls.
Defining 14 men’s weight classes from 105-pound flyweights to 265-pound super heavyweights. The weight classes would alter the UFC’s current classes.
However, promotions will not be forced to make the changes and it seems unlikely the UFC would be willing to alter its organizational structure.
In fact, White went on the record as saying, “No, we’re not following that,” when the new weight divisions were mentioned.
It’s hard to say what will happen next, but don’t expect anything to change anytime soon … this appears to be the beginning of a long, protracted battle.
44 Comments »
this is one reason why i hate boxing so much, too many weight classes means too many champs, meaningless
i hope the ufc and others keep the regular weight class and rules as they are
Boxing is a bore, except for the “fluid” fighters like Pacquiao and MAyweather. now since Pretty Boy Floyd’s gone, MAnny is now king!
the only thing that is good in boxing is pacman and cotto!
After last night, the UFC is becoming boxing politics and money. (read between the lines folks) Anyone of you who has been watching UFC for along time can clearly see this event was coordianted to revolve around TUFF and it didnt fail. The TUFF hype soap opera tale show was in full force last nite, from the biased commentating to the cinderella story that was “forest the first TUFF winner to now new lightweight champ” give me a break!! yes, rampage didnt BRING IT, but to say he lost unanimious???? come on guys!!! forest won round 2 but to say he was connecting more then page on the other rounds is CRAP! its really dissapointing to see how its becoming this way. Some of you will say the opposite, but when boxing was becoming more apparent that shady match fixing was going on, EVERYBODY said NO WAY….well look at boxing now!!!!! So lets continue this soap opera with forest vs lidell NYE…hmmm nobody saw that coming! now dana gets his perfect NYE show w lidell vs forest and silva vs rampage III
I LEAVE YOU W THIS: If it happened once already with the HAMILL vs BISPING fight, what makes you think its impossible for FIXED shit to happen again???? and please dont tell me bisping won the fight LOL…
You have a very appropriate username!!! All I saw when I read your post was blah blah blah… Forrest won, get over it!!!
Aptly named indeed…
I never understand it when someone has a problem with a unanimous decision. Why would you ever expect a split decision? Either you think a fighter won or lost.
You know that the UFC doesn’t judge the fights right?
It’s a separate govering body.
I don’t think the UFC cared that much who won that fight, Rampage is probably more marketable fighter then Forest.
quit with the conspiracy theories.
Comment by blah
2008-07-06 21:01:31
kimber: you remind me of the guy that only comes out when its good for him!!!!! you say u check this site religiously, yet u dont have the courage to comment???? hmmmm….
Blah, I don’t have all the time in the world and only make a comment when I feel something has driven me to speak my mind. It keeps me from getting into a long blog argument. And I was making a comment to John but thats for getting involved.
*thanks for getting involved.
ur welcome kimber, thats what a blog is for sugapie. But dont be shy, feel free to leave more comments here since u said urself that u check the blog constantly….thoug you are a little contradicting if you ask me saying it keeps from you getting into an argument, yet the all your comments towards JOHN were just for the sake of that…arguing.
But like john said about you kimber: If u asked me about u, I wouldnt even know you exsisted….I will take the hate as a compliment!
KNEES TO A GROUNDED OPPONENT MUST BE IMPLEMENTED! If not fighters can continue to turtle up and be safe from getting struck!
I understand the soccer kicks (kind of) and I definetly understand why the stomps arent legal…..But can we get some knees already?
agreed! knees to the head on a downed opponent is a must. dana wants them but has said that it might take years for it to happen because of the way atheletic commisions have already set up the rules.
I am hugely NOT in favor of knees or kiks to a downed opponent. It makes MMA look more like a street fight. Fot the back of the head issue. I think the fighters should put on headphones and anythins behind it is illegal. Downward elbows are alright. I love the weight class idea but i wouldnt mind if the UFC didnt adopt them but they should get a 145 class to bring Urijah to the UFC.
I have always agree with the issue about soccer kicks. Makes it look far to much like a street fight. Knees to the head are not as street looking to me. I wouldnt mind seeing them.
the problem i have with the headphones thing is that, if that were so, then for example, the knockout of Gonzaga over Cro Cop would have been illegal (it hit the bone behind the ear).
Most roundhouse head kicks would be.
Urijah is by far the WEC’s biggest star and their two most exciting divisions are 135 and 145. Is it a coincidence that those divisions aren’t in the UFC and are the WEC’s most exciting? No, that is the reason the WEC’s 135 and 145 divsions are so great. People already complain about the UFC champs not putting thier titles on the line often enough, and certain fighters only fighing like once a year, or favorite fighters fighting on the unaired prelims…..
In otherwords, I think it would be an awful idea for the UFC to add a 145 lb division. They would be hurting themselves, and the WEC (which they own)
I do not want knees or kicks to a downed opponent.
I am with you JRV. I don’t think it is needed at all. I am glad stomps are not allowed as well. The rules are fine how they are. Leave them be and come on NY, join the party!
i agree as well.dont fix something that aint broke
Correct. I see no need to change the existing rules. They work just fine.
Why mess with something that works???
So are you for knees or against? Knees to a downed opponent are currently legal. Kicks are not.
Well to be honest I’d like to see the knees, soccer kicks and stomps. But I can see where it might be too violent for some of the SAC to accept. Especially trying to get sanctioned in NY.
IMO, just stick with what they’ve got. Otherwise, just implement the Pride rules too, like the stomping and everything.
Making the smothering of the mouth or nose a foul, thus preventing a fighter from using their hand to alter an opponent’s breathing. isn’t that the whole point of the fight? to stop their breathing?
yes. this is a stupid rule, when you are allowed to choke out your opponent by the throat.
yes, but not with you hands.
I’m okay with knees and kicks to a downed opponent, just not to the head.
same here.
yes kicks and knees to the head is fine. Its worked in japan and nobody has been seriously injured from it to not allow it. This is fighting not basketball, its what these guys sign up for.
They should focos on fixing the way fights ard judge not all this stuff. Cause the scoring system now is invented for boxing but this is mma.
i second that…
i think the decision to make disrupting breathing a foul is a horrendous one… if you can choke someone out by cutting off the oxygen or blood flow then you should certainly be able to put your hand over their mouth…cmon
and as far as the weight classes go…wow. what the heck? the ufc single handedly brought mma to where it is now, and now the commissions are trying to bring mma back down!
it pretty much reflects our society in general. when your kid is on a team at the end of the year, everyone gets an award. younger kids’ sporting events dont keep score anymore. “everyone’s a winner.” and you too can be one, mr. random mma fighter, as long as you weigh the right amount.
screw this. if its gonna come to this, id rather go back to the old days when there were no weight classes at all. bj penn vs. brock lesnar! get er done!!! and unless you want your little kid growing up a sissy hairstylist (or an athletic commission member, while we’re on the subject), keep score at his game, and make sure you let him know whether he won or lost…
…cuz in a world gone soft, someones gotta be hard. amen.
LMAO!!! “the world gone soft” That was a good post. I pretty much agree with everything.
…and we’re gonna have the hap-hap-happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby danced with Danny f*cking Kaye. Holy Shit. Where’s the Tylenol?
“Mikes hard lemonade”
… you rip off
good post mctapout, totally agree
if that so, Shogun will gonna clean out the division with ease………
take elbows out
this is the bigest load of crap I have ever seen, this the week trying to establish an “official Reputation” its bullshit.
We’ve seen Elites XC tarnish the reputation of MMA and now I am just waiting for the bust, that will be Affliction.
Another thing that most people might not know is that a big part of the individuals running the show at the fight network, have a pro-wrestling backround and not an MMA one. Big John has lost alot of respect in my eyes, just for afiliating himself with these clowns. Mauro Renalo used to be a wrestling anouncer and he still sounds like one.
The fact of the matter is no one can beat the UFC at putting on fights, so they have to beat them a different way.
it’s so obviouse that this is corporate sabotage.
why do the states deserve flag at every other pole?
if the ufc doesnt allow knees to the head of a grounded opponent then it isnt ultimate.the ufc gay ass rules are making fighters like wandy and shogun only half as good and more weight classes? bullshit there shouldnt be any weight classes just responsible matchmaking.