Mixed martial arts rules

Most rule sets for mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions have evolved since the early days of Vale Tudo.

Similarly, shoot wrestling organizations, such as Shooto, expanded their rulesets to integrate elements of Vale Tudo into their sport.

Some main motivations for these rule changes included: Weight classes emerged when knowledge about submission holds spread.

Headbutts were prohibited because it was a technique that required little effort and could quickly turn the match into a bloody mess.

Headbutting was common among wrestlers because their skill in takedowns allowed them to quickly transfer bouts to the ground where they could assault opponents with headbutts while not being required to alter their position.

[1] Small, open-finger gloves were introduced to protect fists in punches while still allowing for effective grappling.

The small bones in an unprotected and unconditioned fist are prone to break when it hits a torso or forehead with power.

In April 2000, the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) voted unanimously in favor of regulations that later became the foundation for the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

However, when the legislation was sent to California's capital for review, it was determined that the sport fell outside the jurisdiction of the CSAC, rendering the vote superfluous.

The intent was to allow the NJSACB to observe actual events and gather information to establish a comprehensive set of rules to effectively regulate the sport.

This meeting attempted to unify the myriad of rules and regulations which had been utilized by the different MMA organizations.

At this meeting, the proposed uniform rules were agreed upon by the NJSACB, several other regulatory bodies, numerous promoters of MMA events and other interested parties in attendance.

At the conclusion of the meeting, all parties in attendance were able to agree upon a uniform set of rules to govern the sport of MMA.

A mouthguard and groin guard are also required and are checked by a State Athletic Committee official before being allowed to enter the cage/ring.

[8] At the end of the fight, each judge submits their total score for all rounds for each fighter, to determine the result by the following criteria: As set out by the Association of Boxing Commissions:[9] When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty.

[12] When holding events in the US, PRIDE abided by the Unified Rules, but added the prohibition against elbows to the head.

Additionally, a percentage of the athlete’s purse will be given to the opponent due to failure to make the contracted weight.

In ONE and under the Global Rule Set, fouls are dealt with by the referee, and uses a yellow/red card system that will affect the fighters purse and potentially be factored in by the judges.

The referee may choose to issue Cautions, Warnings, Yellow Cards or Disqualifications based on the nature, severity, and repetition of the fouling behavior.

When the action slows on the ground, the referee will give the commands “improve your position” or “work to finish”.

A yellow card will result in a 10% deduction in the athlete’s prize money (purse) and may factor in the judges' decision.

Most major MMA promotions in the US, Canada and Britain use the "cage" as a result of directly evolving from the first UFC events.

The usage of the ring in these countries is derived from the history of Vale Tudo, Japanese pro-wrestling and other MMA related sports such as kickboxing.

For example, a popular and effective strategy in a cage is to pin an opponent into the area where the fence meets the mat, and then pummel him with strikes.

feel that the appearance of fighting in a cage contributes to a negative image of MMA in popular media.

The protection gear shall be in a generally clean and serviceable condition and the padding shall not be displaced, broken or imperfect in any way.

Small shows usually use more restrictive rules because they have less experienced fighters who are looking to acquire experience and exposure that could ultimately lead them to getting recruited into one of the larger, better paying promotions.

In Japan and Europe, there is no regulating authority over MMA competitions, so these organizations have greater freedom in rules development and event structure.