Definition of grounded fighter to see some changes, vote passes unanimously
The annual conference for The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) and Combative Sports was held in Scottsdale, Arizona on Tuesday, and a new ruling could point towards a more “unified” set of rules under the already labeled “unified rules.”
ABC president Mike Mazzulli told ESPN that the group unanimously passed an alteration of its rule on the definition of a grounded fighter. Mazzulli said the change passed with a vote count of 42-0 and that he is “very confident” that all commissions will pass this new language.
According to the report, “the hope, he said, is to have all commissions using the new language by July 1, 2020. Every commission and state government has different processes for passing new regulations. Mazzulli said the ABC board of directors will evaluate which commissions are using which rule in January 2020 with an eye toward the July 2020 deadline.”
“Mazzulli, who leads the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation, said he can pass the new rule in his commission almost immediately. California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) executive officer Andy Foster said the new regulation will likely be brought to his commission in December.
“New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) counsel Nick Lembo said his state will pass the new rule, but it would be difficult for it to happen before UFC Newark on Saturday.
The ABC originally passed a new set of rules back in 2016 which was supposed to be rolled out by January 1, 2017, with all commissions on board. It did not happen and the “unified rules” still varied from state to state. If you were watching the UFC one weekend, the ruleset might be different the next depending on where they were.
“The rule passed in 2016 stated that a fighter must have both palms or fists, or any other body part besides the soles of the feet, on the mat to be considered grounded,” according to Marc Raimondi’s reporter for ESPN. “In the original rule written in 2001, a fighter was grounded if any part of the body other than the soles of his or feet were touching the canvas. Regulators felt at the time that fighters were gaming that rule and dropping just a finger to the floor to be considered grounded.
“In 2017, the commissions that did not pass the changed rule argued that making fighters put two palms or fists down to avoid blows to the head was making MMA more dangerous. There are 16 commissions who have not made that change, including Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Texas, Ohio and Missouri. Commissions like California, New York and Florida passed the two-hands-down rule. This has led to widespread confusion among fighters, referees and fans about which rules are being used in which state.”
The language passed Tuesday represents a compromise — a fighter can place a single hand (palm or fist) down and be grounded. Just not a finger or multiple fingers. A fighter who has a fist or palm on the ground will be considered grounded and cannot be attacked with kicks or knees to the head. Should only a fighter’s fingers be touching the mat, they will not be considered grounded.
“It’s a fighter safety issue,” Mazzulli told ESPN. “For fighter safety, the body here has decided to not go back, but change the downed fighter. Being unified is important enough to rewrite the downed fighter rule.”
