OFFICIAL MMA RULES

Official MMA Rules
Tuesday, January 10, 2006 - MMAWeekly.com Staff

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OFFICIAL MMA RULES

The following describes some rules commonly found in MMA competition in most MMA organizations.
Ways to victory
Knock Out (KO): as soon as a fighter becomes unconscious due to strikes, his opponent is declared the winner (because MMA rules allow ground fighting, the fight is stopped to prevent further injury to the unconcious fighter.)
Submission: a fighter may admit defeat during a match by:
tapping three times on his opponent's body;
tapping three times on the mat or floor;
verbal announcement.
Technical Knockout (TKO)
Referee Stoppage: the referee may stop a match in progress if:
a fighter becomes dominant to the point where the opponent is unable to intelligently defend himself from attacks (this may occur as quickly as a few seconds);
a fighter appears to be unconscious from a grappling hold.
a fighter appears to have developed significant injuries (such as a broken bone) in the referee's view.
Doctor Stoppage: the referee will call for a time out if a fighter's ability to continue is in question as a result of apparent injuries (such as a large cut). The ring doctor will inspect the fighter and stop the match if the fighter is deemed unable to continue safely, rendering the opponent the winner. However, if the match is stopped as a result of an injury from illegal actions by the opponent, either a disqualification or no contest will be issued instead.
Corner stoppage: a fighter's cornermen may announce defeat on the fighter's behalf by throwing in the towel during the match in progress or between rounds.
Decision: if the match goes the distance, then the outcome of the bout is determined by three judges. The judging critera are organization-specific.
Forfeit: a fighter or his representative may forfeit a match prior to the beginning of the match, thereby losing the match.
Disqualification: a "warning" will be given when a fighter commits a foul or illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification. Moreover, if a fighter is injured and unable to continue due to a deliberate illegal technique from his opponent, the opponent will be disqualified.
No Contest: in the event that both fighters commit a violation of the rules, or a fighter is unable to continue due to an injury from an accidental illegal technique, the match will be declared a "No Contest".
Weight categories
Although each organization divides its fighters into weight classes, the details are organization-specific.
Fouls
No head-butting, eye gouging, hair pulling, biting or fish hooking (pulling at the cheek with a finger).
No attacking the groin
No strikes to the back of the head, spinal area and kidneys.
No strikes to, or grabs of the trachea
No small joint manipulation (control of four or more fingers/toes is necessary).
No intentionally throwing your opponent out of the ring.
No running out of the ring.
No purposely holding the ring ropes or octagon fence.

For more infomation of the different typs of rules in the MMA world please click the title above.