Excitefight Sanctioning and Mixed Martial Arts Oversight Comittee
EXCITEFIGHT POSITION CONCERNING REGULATION
Excitefight has consistently embraced thorough regulation of MMA and adopted the Unified Rules of MMA in November 2010. These rules help ensure athlete safety and fair competition by providing a consistent set of rules for the sport
The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) aim to provide a clear set of rules governing professional MMA competition that remain consistent across the jurisdictions of various athletic commissions and other regulatory bodies. The framework of the Unified Rules of MMA was proposed and agreed upon by various athletic commissions in the 2000s and unanimously adopted by the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) on July 30, 2009.
THE UNIFIED RULES OF MMA GOVERN
- Fouls
- Number of rounds per bout and round duration
- Athlete attire and equipment
All bouts are governed with full adherence to the provisions set forth in the Unified Rules of MMA. Which can be found here in its entirety
RULES
All MMA Fights will be conducted in concurrence with the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.
Ways to win a Bout
There are a few ways to win an MMA bout, including:
- Knockout: A fighter can win by knocking their opponent unconscious with a punch, kick or other legal strike or choke.
- Submission: An opponent can submit by tapping their opponents body or verbally tapping to referee or opponent.
- Decision: If there is no knockout or submission, the judges score each round and the fighter with the most points wins.
Judging Criteria
Scoring: The 10 point must system is defined as follows: All bouts will be evaluated and scored by three judges. 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 an even round, which is scored (10-10).
Fouls
The following acts constitute fouls in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts and may result in penalties, at the discretion of the referee, if committed:
- Butting with the head
- Eye gouging of any kind
- Biting or spitting at an opponent
- Fish hooking (act of inserting a finger or fingers or one or both hands into the mouth or nostrils or a person, pulling away from the centerline of the body)
- Hair pulling
- Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck
- Strikes to the spine or the back of the head.
- Throat strikes of any kind, and/or grabbing the trachea
- Fingers outstretched toward an opponent’s face/eyes
- Downward pointing elbow strike (’12 to ‘6 strike)
- Groin attacks of any kind
- Kneeing and/or kicking the head of a grounded opponent
- Stomping a grounded opponent
- Holding opponent’s gloves or shorts
- Holding or grabbing the fence or ropes with fingers or toes
- Small joint manipulation
- Throwing opponent out of ring/fighting area
- Intentionally placing a finger into any orifice or any cut or laceration of an opponent
- Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
- Timidity (avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury)
- Using abusive language in the fighting area
- Flagrant disregarding of the referee’s instructions
- Unsportsmanlike conduct that causes injury to an opponent
- Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat
- Attacking an opponent on or during the break
- Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
- Interference from a mixed martial artist’s corner or seconds
1) Disqualification may occur after any combination of fouls or after a flagrant foul at the discretion of the referee.
2) Fouls may result in a point being deducted by the official scorekeeper from the offending contestant’s score. The scorekeeper, not the judges, will be responsible for calculating the true score after factoring in the point deduction.
3) Only a referee can assess a foul. If the referee does not call the foul, judges must not make that assessment on their own and should not factor such into their scoring calculations.
Bout Duration
Mixed Martial Arts bouts will consist of 3 rounds.
Amateur competition rounds will be 3 Minutes in length, Professional rounds will be 5 minutes in length. If three rounds conclude the bout is then considered over and is rendered to a Judges Decision. Championship bouts may consist of 5 rounds.
EXCITEFIGHT RECOGNIZES STANDARD MIXED MARTIAL ARTS WEIGHT CLASS LIMITS.
Flyweight up to 125 lbs.
Bantamweight over 125 to 135 lbs
Featherweight over 135 to 145 lbs
Lightweight over 145 to 155 lbs
Welterweight over 155 to 170 lbs
Middleweight over 170 to 185 lbs
Light Heavyweight over 185 to 205 lbs
Heavyweight over 205 to 265 lbs
Super Heavyweight over 265 lbs.
Medical Requirements
All fighters are expected to pass a prefight physical examination. Professional fighters are required to submit current bloodwork 1 week before their upcoming bout.
Blood work for MMA fighters typically includes tests for HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C:
- HIV: A 4th Generation Duo Antigen/Antibody Test
- Hepatitis B: A Surface Antigen Test
- Hepatitis C: Antibody Test
Athlete Competition Attire
Competitor must fight in approved shorts, without shoes or any other sort of foot padding. Shirts, Gi’s or long pants (including gi pants) are not allowed. Competitor must use provided or approved fight gloves (4-6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab and to equip him/herself with a mouthpiece and protective cup and are checked by an approved official before being allowed to enter the cage/ring. Amateur competitors may be required to wear shin guards at the promotions discretion.
