Chapter 85-3 PROFESSIONAL MIXED MARTIAL ARTS
| (a) |
Mixed martial artists shall be divided
into the following classes:
| 1. |
Flyweight
under 125.9 pounds; |
| 2. |
Bantamweight
126 lbs. - 134.9 pounds; |
| 3. |
Featherweight 135 lbs. - 144.9 pounds; |
| 4. |
Lightweight 145 lbs. - 154.9
pounds; |
| 5. |
Welterweight 155 lbs. -
169.9 pounds; |
| 6. |
Middleweight 170
lbs. - 184.9 pounds; |
| 7. |
Light
Heavyweight 185 lbs. - 204.9 pounds; |
| 8. |
Heavyweight 204 lbs. - 264.9 pounds;
and |
| 9. |
Super Heavyweight over 265
pounds. |
|
| 1. |
The fighting
area, made of canvas, hybrid canvas or 14-ounce vinyl shall be no smaller than
18 feet by 18 feet and no larger than 32 feet by 32 feet. The fighting area
shall be padded in a manner as approved by the Commissioner, with at least one
inch layer of foam padding. Padding shall extend beyond the fighting area and
over the edge of the platform. No other vinyl or other plastic rubberized
covering shall be permitted. |
| 2. |
The
promoter shall ensure that fighting area is wiped clean of all liquids and
bodily fluids between each round and at the conclusion of each bout. |
| 3. |
The fighting area shall not be more than
four feet above the floor of the building and shall have suitable steps or ramp
for use by the participants. Posts shall be made of metal not more than six
inches in diameter, extending from the floor of the building to a minimum
height of 58 inches above the fighting area canvas and shall be properly padded
in a manner approved by the Commissioner. |
| 4. |
The fighting area shall be enclosed by a
fence made of such material as will not allow a fighter to fall out or break
through it onto the floor or spectators, including, but not limited to, vinyl
coated chain link fencing. All metal parts shall be covered and padded in a
manner approved by the Commissioner and shall not be abrasive to the
contestants. |
| 5. |
The fence shall
provide two separate entries onto the fighting area. |
| 6. |
Instead of a fenced in area, the
Commissioner may approve the use of a ring with five ring ropes and an adequate
apron area outside of the fighting area. |
| (1) |
A ring stool of
a type approved by the Commissioner shall be available for each
contestant. |
| (2) |
An appropriate
number of stools or chairs, of a type approved by the Commissioner, shall be
available for each contestant's seconds. Such stools or chairs shall be located
near each contestant's corner. |
| (3) |
All stools and chairs used must be thoroughly cleaned or replaced after the
conclusion of each bout. |
For each bout, the promoter shall provide a clean water bucket
and a clean plastic water bottle in each corner.
| (1) |
In all weight classes, the bandages on
each contestant's hand shall be restricted to soft gauze cloth not more than 13
yards in length and two inches in width, held in place by not more than 10 feet
of surgeon's tape, one inch in width, for each hand. |
| (2) |
Surgeon's adhesive tape shall be placed
directly on each hand for protection near the wrist. The tape may cross the
back of the hand twice and extend to cover and protect the knuckles when the
hand is clenched to make a fist. |
| (3) |
The bandages shall be evenly distributed
across the hand. |
| (4) |
Bandages and
tape shall be placed on the contestant's hands in the dressing room in the
presence of the inspector and in the presence of the manager or chief second of
his or her opponent. |
| (5) |
Under no
circumstances are gloves to be placed on the hands of a contestant until the
approval of the inspector is received. |
| (1) |
All
contestants are required to wear a mouthpiece during competition. The
mouthpiece shall be subject to examination and approval by the attending
physician. |
| (2) |
The round cannot
begin without the mouthpiece in place. |
| (3) |
If the mouthpiece is involuntarily
dislodged during competition, the referee shall call time, clean the mouthpiece
and reinsert the mouthpiece at the first opportune moment, without interfering
with the immediate action. |
| (1) |
Male mixed
martial artists shall wear a groin protector of their own selection, of a type
approved by the Commissioner. |
| (2) |
Female mixed martial artists are prohibited from wearing groin
protectors. |
| (3) |
Female mixed
martial artists shall wear a chest protector during competition. The chest
protector shall be subject to approval of the Commissioner. |
| (1) |
The gloves
shall be new for all main events and in good condition or they must be
replaced. |
| (2) |
All contestants shall
wear four, five or six ounce gloves, supplied by the promoter and approved by
the commission. No contestant shall supply their own gloves for
participation. |
| (1) |
Each contestant
shall wear mixed martial arts shorts, biking shorts, or kick-boxing
shorts. |
| (2) |
Gis or shirts are
prohibited during competition. |
| (3) |
Shoes are prohibited during competition. |
| 1. |
Hair shall be
trimmed or tied back in such a manner as not to interfere with the vision of
either contestant or cover any part of a contestant's face. |
| 2. |
Jewelry or piercing accessories are
prohibited during competition. |
| (1) |
Each
non-championship mixed martial arts contest shall be three rounds, of five
minutes duration, with a one minute rest period between each round. |
| (2) |
Each championship mixed martial arts
contest shall be five rounds, of five minutes duration, with a one minute rest
period between each round. |
The referee and ringside physician are the sole arbiters of a
bout and are the only individuals authorized to enter the fighting area at any
time during competition and authorized to stop a contest.
| (a) |
All bouts will
be evaluated and scored by three judges. |
| (b) |
The 10-Point Must System will be the
standard system of scoring a bout. Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System, 10
points must be awarded to the winner of the round and nine points or less must
be awarded to the loser, except for a rare even round, which is scored
(10-10). |
| (c) |
Judges shall evaluate
mixed martial arts techniques, such as effective striking, effective grappling,
control of the fighting area, effective aggressiveness and defense. |
| (d) |
Evaluations shall be made in the order in
which the techniques appear in (c) above, giving the most weight in scoring to
effective striking, effective grappling, control of the fighting area and
effective aggressiveness and defense. |
| (e) |
Effective striking is judged by
determining the total number of legal heavy strikes landed by a
contestant. |
| (f) |
Effective grappling
is judged by considering the amount of successful executions of a legal
takedown and reversals. Examples of factors to consider are take downs from
standing position to mount position, passing the guard to mount position, and
bottom position fighters using an active, threatening guard. |
| (g) |
Fighting area control is judged by
determining who is dictating the pace, location and position of the bout.
Examples of factors to consider are countering a grappler's attempt at takedown
by remaining standing and legally striking; taking down an opponent to force a
ground fight; creating threatening submission attempts, passing the guard to
achieve mount, and creating striking opportunities. |
| (h) |
Effective aggressiveness means moving
forward and landing a legal strike. |
| (i) |
Effective defense means avoiding being
struck, taken down or reversed while countering with offensive
attacks. |
| (j) |
The following
objective scoring criteria shall be utilized by the judges when scoring a
round:
| 1. |
A round is to be scored as a 10-10
Round when both contestants appear to be fighting evenly and neither contestant
shows clear dominance in a round; |
| 2. |
A round is to be scored as a 10-9 Round
when a contestant wins by a close margin, landing the greater number of
effective legal strikes, grappling and other maneuvers; |
| 3. |
A round is to be scored as a 10-8 Round
when a contestant overwhelmingly dominates by striking or grappling in a
round. |
| 4. |
A round is to be scored
as a 10-7 Round when a contestant totally dominates by striking or grappling in
a round. |
|
| (k) |
Judges
shall use a sliding scale and recognize the length of time the fighters are
either standing or on the ground, as follows:
| 1. |
If the mixed martial artists spent a
majority of a round on the canvas, then:
| i. |
Effective grappling is weighed first; and |
| ii. |
Effective striking is then
weighed |
|
| 2. |
If the mixed
martial artists spent a majority of a round standing, then:
| i. |
Effective striking is weighed first;
and |
| ii. |
Effective grappling is then
weighed |
|
| 3. |
If a round
ends with a relatively even amount of standing and canvas fighting, striking
and grappling are weighed equally. |
|
| (1) |
The referee
shall issue a single warning for the following infractions. After the initial
warning, if the prohibited conduct persists, a penalty will be issued. The
penalty may result in a deduction of points or disqualification.
| (a) |
Holding or grabbing the fence; |
| (b) |
Holding opponent's shorts or gloves;
or |
| (c) |
The presence of more than
one second on the fighting area perimeter. |
|
| (a) |
The following
are fouls and will result in penalties if committed:
| 1. |
Butting with the head; |
| 2. |
Eye gouging of any kind; |
| 3. |
Biting or spitting at an
opponent; |
| 6. |
Groin attacks of any kind; |
| 7. |
Intentionally placing a finger in any
opponent's orifice; |
| 8. |
Downward
pointing of elbow strikes; |
| 9. |
Small
joint manipulation; |
| 10. |
Strikes to
the spine or back of the head; |
| 11. |
Heel kicks to the kidney; |
| 12. |
Throat strikes of any kind; |
| 13. |
Clawing, pinching, twisting the flesh or grabbing the clavicle; |
| 14. |
Kicking the head of a grounded
fighter; |
| 15. |
Kneeing the head of a
grounded fighter; |
| 16. |
Stomping of a
grounded fighter; |
| 17. |
The use of
abusive language in fighting area; |
| 18. |
Any unsportsmanlike conduct that causes
an injury to opponent; |
| 19. |
Attacking an opponent on or during the break; |
| 20. |
Attacking an opponent who is under the
referee's care at the time; |
| 21. |
Timidity (avoiding contact, or consistent dropping of mouthpiece, or faking an
injury); |
| 22. |
Interference from a
mixed martial artist's seconds; |
| 23. |
Throwing an opponent out of the fighting area; |
| 24. |
Flagrant disregard of the referee's
instructions; |
| 25. |
Spiking an
opponent to the canvas on his or her head or neck. |
|
| (b) |
Disqualification occurs after any
combination of three or the fouls listed in (a) above or after a referee
determines that a foul was intentional and flagrant. |
| (c) |
Fouls will result in a point being
deducted by the official scorekeeper from the offending mixed martial artist's
score. |
| (d) |
Only a referee can
assess a foul. If the referee does not call the foul, judges shall not make
that assessment on their own and cannot factor such into their scoring
calculations. |
| (e) |
A fouled fighter
has up to five minutes to recuperate. |
| (f) |
If a foul is committed, the referee
shall:
| 2. |
check the fouled mixed martial artist's
condition and safety; and |
| 3. |
assess
the foul to the offending contestant, deduct points, and notify each corner's
seconds, judges and the official scorekeeper. |
|
| (g) |
If a bottom contestant commits a foul,
unless the top contestant is injured, the fight shall continue, so as not to
jeopardize the top contestant's superior positioning at the time.
| 1. |
The referee shall verbally notify the
bottom contestant of the foul. |
| 2. |
When the round is over, the referee shall assess the foul and notify both
corners' seconds, the judges and the official scorekeeper. |
| 3. |
The referee may terminate a bout based on
the severity of a foul. For such a flagrant foul, a contestant shall lose by
disqualification. |
|
| (a) |
If an injury sustained during competition
as a result of a legal maneuver is severe enough to terminate a bout, the
injured contestant loses by technical knockout. |
| (b) |
If an injury sustained during competition
as a result of an intentional foul is severe enough to terminate a bout, the
contestant causing the injury loses by disqualification. |
| (c) |
If an injury is sustained during
competition as a result of an intentional foul and the bout is allowed to
continue, the referee shall notify the scorekeeper to automatically deduct two
points from the contestant who committed the foul. |
| (d) |
If an injury sustained during competition
as a result of an intentional foul cause the injured contestant to be unable to
continue at a subsequent point in the contest, the injured contestant shall win
by technical decision, if he or she is ahead on the score cards. If the injured
contestant is even or behind on the score cards at the time of stoppage, the
outcome of the bout shall be declared a technical draw. |
| (e) |
If a contestant injures himself or
herself while attempting to foul his or her opponent, the referee shall not
take any action in his or her favor, and the injury shall be treated in the
same manner as an injury produced by a fair blow. |
| (f) |
If an injury sustained during competition
as a result of an accidental foul is severe enough for the referee to stop the
bout immediately, the bout shall result in a no contest if stopped before two
rounds have been completed in a three round bout or if stopped before three
rounds have been completed in a five round bout. |
| (g) |
If an injury sustained during competition
as a result of an accidental foul is severe enough for the referee to stop the
bout immediately, the bout shall result in a technical decision awarded to the
contestant who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped only
when the bout is stopped after two rounds of a three round bout, or three
rounds of a five round bout have been completed. |
| (h) |
There will be no scoring of an incomplete
round. However, if the referee penalizes either contestant, then the
appropriate points shall be deducted when the scorekeeper calculates the final
score. |
| (a) |
The
following are the types of bout results:
| 1. |
Submission by:
| i. |
Tap Out: When a contestant
physically uses his hand to indicate that he or she no longer wishes to
continue; or |
| ii. |
Verbal tap out:
When a contestant verbally announces to the referee that he or she does not
wish to continue; |
|
| 2. |
Technical knockout by:
| ii. |
Ringside physician stops
bout; or |
| iii. |
When an injury as a
result of a legal maneuver is severe enough to terminate a bout; |
|
| 3. |
Knockout by failure to rise
from the canvas; |
| 4. |
Decision via
score cards:
| i. |
Unanimous: When all three
judges score the bout for the same contestant; |
| ii. |
Split Decision: When two judges score the
bout for one contestant and one judge scores for the opponent; or |
| iii. |
Majority Decision: When two judges score
the bout for the same contestant and one judge scores a draw; |
|
| 5. |
Draws:
| i. |
Unanimous - When all three judges score
the bout a draw; |
| ii. |
Majority -
When two judges score the bout a draw; or |
| iii. |
Split - When all three judges score
differently and the score total results in a draw; |
|
| 6. |
Disqualification: When an injury sustained
during competition as a result of an intentional foul is severe enough to
terminate the contest; |
| 7. |
Forfeit:
When a contestant fails to begin competition or prematurely ends the contest
for reasons other than injury or by indicating a tap out; |
| 8. |
Technical Draw: When an injury sustained
during competition as a result of an intentional foul cause the injured
contestant to be unable to continue and the injured contestant is even or
behind on the score cards at the time of stoppage; |
| 9. |
Technical Decision: When the bout is
prematurely stopped due to injury and a contestant is leading on the score
cards; and |
| 10. |
No Contest: When a
contest is prematurely stopped due to accidental injury and a sufficient number
of rounds have not been completed to render a decision via the score
cards. |
|
| (a) |
All mixed
martial arts events shall be subject to licensing requirements of
85-1-.02. |
| (b) |
The fee for a mixed martial artist
license and other license fees shall be set forth in
85-1-.02. |
| (c) |
Each applicant for a mixed martial artist
license shall submit to the Commission such application and supporting
documentation including Applicant Affidavit of the applicant's amateur
fighter's record on forms prescribed by the Commission. |
All mixed martial arts events shall be subject to the bond
procedure requirements of 85-1-.03
All mixed martial arts events shall be subject to the presence,
duties and compensation of inspectors as required by
85-1-.07.
| (a) |
All mixed martial arts events shall be subject to the uniform medical
requirements of 85-1-.04. |
| (b) |
All mixed martial arts events shall be
subject to the additional health and safety requirements of
85-1-.05. |
| (c) |
All
mixed martial arts events shall be subject to the emergency medical facilities
and equipment requirements of 85-1-.05. |
| (d) |
All mixed martial arts events shall be
subject to the insurance requirements of
N.J.A.C. 85-1-.05. |
Weighing of all mixed martial artists shall be conducted in
accordance with the requirements for professional boxers of 85-1 Appendix
Band
85-1-.08(1)(d).
| (1) |
Compensation
for MMA Referee's and Judges
| a. |
All payments
of fees, including travel expenses when required, to MMA referees and judges
shall be paid by the promoter conducting the show and shall be on the following
basis:
| i. |
Payment shall be made to the
commission appointed supervisor no later than at the weigh-in, and shall be by
cashier's check or money order. |
|
| b. |
When the gross aggregate purse of the show
does not exceed $50,000, the fee for the head referee shall be $300.00, the
secondary referee shall be $150.00 and the fee for each judge shall be
$150.00. |
| c. |
Travel expenses for
officials required traveling a distance of fifty (50) miles or greater to the
site of a show shall be set by the commission appointed supervisor, provided
that such amount shall not exceed the usual and customary amount allowed by
state guidelines for state employees. Hotel rooms may be required, but only
when the distance traveled exceeds 100 miles. |
|
| (2) |
All MMA Officials will be required to
take and pass a Commission approved certification course once every two years
to be eligible to work in Georgia. |
