MONTREAL -- A revised edition of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were passed Thursday by the Association of Boxing Commissions via a majority vote at the ABC's annual conference.
The amended document -- drafted by the ABC's MMA Chairman Dale Kliparchuk, New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Deputy Attorney Nick Lembo, ABC President Timothy Leuckenhoff, California State Athletic Commission Executive Officer Armando Garcia* and veteran referee "Big" John McCarthy -- primarily provided clarifications to the already existing Unified Rules instituted in April 2001 that serve as a regulatory beacon for the sport throughout North America.
The motion to pass the revised document was introduced by Commissioner Gary Litchfield of Massachusetts, and Utah representative Bill Colbert seconded the motion.
Forty regulatory bodies were in attendance for the annual event, which convened state and tribal athletic commissions from the United States and Canada. The California State Athletic Commission and the Nevada State Athletic Commission, both known for regulating a large share of MMA events, did not have representatives in attendance.
Within the revised regulations, verbiage was added to further define what constitutes an illegal strike to the back of a competitor's head. The revised rules now distinguish the back of the head as the "crown of the head down the centerline of the skill into the spine, with a 1 inch variance to each side." This is commonly referred to as the "Mohawk" definition.
This definition was of prime importance to commission members, who in recent months have diverged in their interpretation of the parameters of the illegal area with the existing text. CSAC confirmed it had informally clarified the regulation with its officials based on medical data and recommendations to include the area from ear to ear, which is utilized in boxing. The NSAC had said it had informally adopted this definition to its jurisdiction as well.
Proponents supporting the ear-to-ear definition spoke of the need to preserve fighter safety, particularly in dealing with the tender area along the spine.
"Behind the ear should be illegal, period," said Arizona commissioner John Montano. "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."
McCarthy, who presented the revisions to ABC members with Kliparchuk and Lembo, told the group that the "Mohawk" definition had always been the intended interpretation of the rule since its 2001 inception and had never been the cause of serious injury during the sport's tenure. McCarthy urged that altering the definition to include the entire back area would alter the mechanics of the sport.
McCarthy described the scenario in which one fighter can take another's back, but would no longer be able to punch his opponent from that position.
"If you start doing things to try and make boxing fit within MMA, you start to allow the rules to control a position so the fighter can actually go to that position because they realize they can not be attacked there. The opponent who had dominance over me now doesn't have the ability to do much to me," said McCarthy.
In addition, verbiage prohibiting elbow strikes in the downward "12-to-6 o'clock" motion was stricken, as the original rule's intention was to prohibit the technique to the restricted spinal cord area, not ban the actual movement itself. Elbow strikes of all kinds are now permissible, except to illegal areas.
Smothering the mouth or nose of an opponent has been added to the Unified Rules' fouls list, prohibiting a fighter from using his hand to prevent his opponent's ability to breathe. According to the new verbiage, this does not include choke attempts where a fighter's mouth is covered by his opponent's arm.
Fouls constituting unsportsmanlike conduct were consolidated together in the revised document, while the recovery period allowed to a fouled fighter was clarified in the new text. A fighter who has been struck with a low blow will have up to five minutes to recover. All other fouls will be assessed by a physician, who will make a determination within five minutes if the fighter is fit to continue.
A proposed amendment allowing knees to the head of a downed opponent did not make it into the revised regulations for a vote. ABC President Leuckenhoff said the technique had been discussed in the weeks prior to the conference, but it was decided the move would be too radical for some legislatures still considering the sport at this time.
Though it drew no talk or review at the conference, fourteen weight classes are now defined in the men's division under the revised Unified Rules, beginning at the 105-pound flyweight division and moving up in 10-pound increments to super heavyweight at 265 pounds and over.
