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Fighting Rules

Rules and regulations regarding MMA fights in Fight Exclusive Night

General regulations:

Mixed Martial Arts –a sport discipline in which competitors use both striking and grappling techniques in order to achieve victory. Fights take place under the rules, which assure that risk of death or serious, permanent injuries is minimized.

§1

Fighting area:

1.The fight takes place in an octagonal cage or a cage-ring with a diagonal of not less than 6.5 meters and no more than 10 meters.
2. Before the event octagon or cage-ring must be checked and approved by main referee and promoter.
3. An octagon or cage-ring has one blue corner and one red corner. Each fighter is assigned to one of them. Competitors wear blue or red tapes around their gloves to indicate which corner they belong to. After entering the octagon, the competitors are obliged to wait in their corners for the start of the fight.
4. There are two neutral (white) corners in the octagon or cage-ring. Fighters are obliged to remain in them when it is indicated by the referee.

§2

Equipment:

1. Outside the combat area, there must be 3 chairs for each’s fighter cornermen.
2. Directly near the octagon or cage-ring, there must 3 tables with chairs for judges, who cannot sit close to each other. In addition, there must be a suitable place for: technical judge and judge responsible for time measurement.
3. In the immediate vicinity of the octagon, there must be a place for the cutman and the medical service.
4. In order to ensure a safe contest, technical service will be sited at each of cage entrances, carrying necessary equipment with them.
5. All of these people must be clearly visible from inside the cage. The referee must be able to see and communicate with above-mentioned officials.
6. It is forbidden to hang any banners or other similar materials in the octagon or near it, without the consent of the Promoter.

§3

Safety:

1.The safety of fighters is ensured by the referee, technical judge, point judges, cutman and medical service, all appointed by the promoter.
2. The promoter provides gloves for MMA. It is prohibited to use any other gloves. It is also forbidden to make changes in the gloves provided by the organizer.
3. Before equipping the gloves for the fight, competitors hands are wrapped by the cutman, who gives the signature on the bandages (length and type of the bandages is confirmed by the promotor during the weigh-in ceremony). Once approved by the cutman, no changes can be made to the hand wraps. It is forbidden for the fighter to use warming ointments, which cause profuse sweating or any sort of analgesic ointments.
4. Just before entering the octagon, the cutman covers fighters’ faces with Vaseline. Competitors must be dry and have their nails clipped. They are required to wear mouthpieces and groin protectors, which are checked before entering the octagon by the technical judge.                                                                                                                         5. Competitors may only be dressed in MMA shorts (top / rashguard in women’s fights). Other types of clothing are prohibited, unless the promotor decides otherwise.
6. Competitors are obliged to wear mouthpieces and groin protectors (not women) during the fight.
7. Fighters cannot wear any types of jewelry during the fight.
8. It is forbidden to use shoes and any kind of feet bandages apart from the ones done by the cutman.
9. Long hair must be bounded according to the main referee instructions.
10. Fighters and people, who accompany them, are obliged to follow the rules of fair play. They must do so, not only during the fight, but also during the whole event.

§4

 

Medical check-ups:

Each competitor is obliged to send scan of the medical check-up to the main referee’s e-mail address, which  is given to the fighters by the promoter. The tests must be carried out no earlier than 10 before the fight and no later than 4 days before the fight.

The deadline for the delivery of the documents is 3 days before the official weighing ceremony.

Among the documents required in the abovementioned period are:

– Test for the presence of hepatitis B – ANTIGEN test!

– Test for the presence of hepatitis C – ANTIGEN test!

– HIV test – ANTIGEN test!

– A “medical card for athlete” or a certificate from a sports medicine doctor or a sports clinic that a competitor is able to take part in “MMA competitions”! (Internist, orthopedist or laryngologist are not entitled to issue such certificates)

-Extreme sports insurance valid on the day of the fight

Not providing any of these documents (one of the test results or confirmation of the valid insurance) in the abovementioned period will result in a 20% fee deduction. Documents have to be provided in an electronic form.  A complete lack of any of the tests makes a fighter unable to compete.

§5

Weight in:

Weight in for the competitors takes place between 10 am and 12 pm at the place indicated by the promoter and is a closed ceremony – presence of every fighter is obligatory. The competitors have 2 hours to fill the weight limit. If the limit is not reached on the first attempt, the competitor has two other attempts to make weight; every attempt must take place in the abovementioned period of time. If the weight limit is still not achieved, for the next and final weight in, the competitor must wait for the official weight in ceremony.

Fighter, who has weighted over the necessary limit by 500g, loses 20% of his fee: 15% for the opponent and 5 % for the promoter.  If weight is missed by 1kg 30% of the fee is taken: 20% for the opponent and 10% for the promoter. If the competitor misses the necessary limit by more than 1 kg 50% of his fight money is taken: 30% for the opponent and 20% for the promoter. In all of the abovementioned cases it is necessary for the opponent to accept the fight.

A competitor, who does not appear in person at the official weight in ceremony, at least 15 minutes before its start shall be subjected to a financial penalty of 30% of his fight money. Fighters, who do not appear in person at the first weight in before 12 pm, shall also be subjected to a financial penalty of 30% of his fight money.

This regulation does not apply to fighters contracted for the last minute replacement, introduced to the fightcard 3 or less days before the event.

§6

 Weight Divisions:

1.Male

-Heavyweight – up to 120,2 kg

-Light Heavyweight – up to 93 kg

-Middleweight – up to 83,9 kg

-Welterweight – up to 77,1 kg

-Lightweight – up to 70,3 kg

-Featherweight– up to 65,8 kg

-Bantamweight – up to 61,2 kg

-Flyweight – up to 56,7 kg

2. Female

-Featherweight – up to 65,8 kg

-Bantamweight – up to 61,2 kg

-Flyweight – up to 56,7 kg

-Strawweight – up to 52,2 kg

 

In every fight that is not for the title the weight tolerance is 500grams. In title fights, it is necessary to make the weight limit.

§7

Round Length:

1.Each non-championship mixed martial arts contest is to be for 3 rounds, each round no more than 5 minutes duration, with a rest period of 1 minute between each round. 2. Each championship mixed martial arts contest is to be for 5 rounds, each round no more than 5 minutes duration, with a rest period of 1 minute between each round.

There is no possibility for an extra round unless the promoter says otherwise.

§8

Title fights:

IN THE TITLE FIGHTS,  THERE IS NO WEIGHT TOLERANCE!

In the fight for the belt both fighters must be on weight. If the champion doesn’t make the limit, he vacates the belt even if he is the winner of the fight. The fight then takes place at a distance of 5x5min.

If the challenger does not make the weight limit, the fight loses its championship status. Even if the pretender wins it, the belt stays with the champion. The fight takes place at a distance of 3x5min

If both of them do not fulfill the limit, the fight loses its championship status. The champion vacates the belt even if he is the winner of the fight. The fight takes place at a distance of 3x5min.

The belt holder cannot refuse to fight against any rival proposed by the promoter. The Champion must always be ready to defend his belt.

The promoter can conduct anti-doping tests for competitors of the title fight. A fighter, who refuses to undergo a test for the presence of prohibited substances, which are on the list of the Polish Anti-Doping Agency, is entitled to only 50% of his fight money. The bout is then considered a “no contest”. The same situation occurs if the test result is POSITIVE.

§9

Stopping the fight:

1,The referee is the sole arbiter of a contest and is the only individual authorized to stop a contest at any given moment. He can consult his decision with doctor and/or ringside judges.

2.The referee and the ringside doctor are the only individuals authorized to enter the fighting area at any time during competition.

§10

Judging:

1.All bouts will be evaluated and scored by 3 judges.

2.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 9 points or less must be awarded to the loser, except for a rare even round, which is scored (10-10).
3. Judges shall evaluate mixed martial arts techniques, such as effective striking, effective grappling, control of the cage/fighting area, effective aggressiveness and defense.
4. Effective striking is judged by determining the total number of legal strikes landed by a contestant.

5.Effective grappling is judged by considering the amount of successful executions of a legal takedown and reversals

6.Fighting area control is judged by determining who is dictating the pace, location and position of the bout.
7. Effective aggressiveness means moving forward and landing a legal strike.
8. The following objective scoring criteria shall be utilized by the judges when scoring a round:

a) 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

b) 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;

c)A round is to be scored as a 10-8 round when a contestant overwhelmingly dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

d)A round is to be scored as a 10-7 round when a contestant totally dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

§11

General rules of the fight:

1.A ground fighting is defined as a situation where a part of the body other than the feet touches the mat.
2. The referee may stop the fight when the dominance of one of the competitors is unquestionable and directly threatens the health of the other fighter.
3. Fighters are required to fight according to fair play rules, conducting a sportsmanlike behavior. In the event of non-fair play behavior, the referee can exclude a competitor from the fight.

§12

Allowed strikes:

1.Head: front, sides.
2. Body: front, sides.
3. Legs and hands: without joints.

§13

Allowed techniques:

1.Kicks: straight, side, circular, oblique, hooked, on the turn, falling, jumped.
2. Punches (with only a clenched fist): straights, hooks, uppercuts, hammerfists, backfists, superman punches

3.Elbows on the head, body, arms and legs.

4.Knee strikes

5.All throws to the ground except for those on which the opponent lands on his head.

6.After taking the fight to the ground or when the competitor has 3 or more support points, all fist and elbow strikes are allowed on the head, body and legs. Knees are allowed on the torso and legs. It is also legal to kick opponents legs. Lying fighter can kick legs, torso, hands and head of his standing opponent except for the forbidden zones.

7.All joint locks such as shoulder lock, armbar, wristlock, kneebar, ankle lock, and leglock are permitted.

8.Chokes.

§14

Reprimands:

1.The referee should give one reprimand for the following offenses:

a) Holding and grabbing the fence/ropes, which does not interfere with the action of the opponent,
b) Holding or grabbing opponent’s shorts or gloves,

c) Talking during the fight,

d) In the case of committing one of the fouls, if it was evidently accidental and did not cause any damage to the victim,

2.If after the first reprimand fighter is still doing the same thing, an appropriate penalty may be applied for example: warning, point deduction or disqualification.

§15

Fouls and warnings:

1. Fouls for which referee may give a warning
– Butting with the head
– Eye gouging of any kind as well as measuring distance with your fingers pointed at your opponent
– Biting or spitting at an opponent
– Hair pulling,
– Putting a finger into any orifice or any cut or laceration of an opponent

– Holding/ grabbing the cage, which interrupts an action of an opponent
– Groin attacks of any kind
– Small joint manipulation

– Applying leverage to the spine
– pressure with the elbow on the larynx
– throws after which the opponent lands on the head,
– blows to the spine or back of the head,
– neck strikes,
– grabbing the trachea,
– Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh,
– Kicking and kneeing the head of a grounded opponent (a fighter is considered grounded when his knee touches the mat or his both hands touch the mat). Referee focuses on the moment when the strike was thrown not when it landed.
– 12-6 elbows
– Stomping on the body,
– Using abusive language in fighting area,
– Attacking an opponent on or during the break,
– Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee,
– Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
– Interference by the corner,
– Throwing opponent out of the fighting area,
– Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee
– Engaging in any unsportsmanlike conduct that causes injury to an opponent
2. Fouls may result in a point being deducted
3. The disqualification occurs after the competitor performs a combination of two fouls from point 1, or when the judge decides that the foul was intentional and particularly glaring.

4. Only the referee can call a foul, if he does not show it, the point judges cannot decide on the foul themselves and take it into account during the scoring
5. A fouled fighter is entitled to a 5-minute break to recover
6. If a foul is committed:
– The referee shall call timeout.
– The referee shall check the fouled contestant’s condition and safety.
– The referee shall then assess the foul to the offending contestant and deduct points if the referee deems it appropriate, and notify the judges and the corners about his decision.

7. If a bottom contestant commits a foul, unless the top contestant is injured, the contest will continue:
– The referee will verbally notify the bottom contestant of the foul.
– When the round is over, the referee will assess the foul and notify the corners and the judges

– The referee may terminate a contest based on the severity of a foul. For such a flagrant foul, the contestant committing the foul shall lose by disqualification.

§16

Injuries Sustained by Fair Blows and Fouls:

1. 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.

2. If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough to terminate a bout, the contestant causing the injury loses by disqualification.
3. 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.

§17

Types of Contest Results

1. Submission by:
– Physical Tap Out: using hands or feet
– Verbal Tap Out : giving up verbally or any kind of scream

– Throwing the towel by the corner
2. TKO:
– Referee stops the contest,
– Doctor stops the fight after checking on the fighter,
– Fighter gets injured after a legal strike and cannot continue.
3. KO (fighter is not able to continue after a vicious strike)
4. Decision via the scorecard:
– Unanimous Decision – When all three judges score the contest for the same contestant
– Split Decision – When two judges score the contest for one contestant and one judge scores for the opponent
– Majority Decision – When two judges score the contest for the same contestant and one judge scores a draw

5. Draw:
– Unanimous Draw – When all three judges score the contest a draw,
– Majority Draw – When two judges score the contest a draw,
– Split Draw – When all three judges score differently.
6. Disqualification: When the injury sustained by an illegal blow is so serious that the fighter cannot continue.
7. Technical Decision: the fight is stopped earlier due to an accidental injury and the competitor cannot continue the bout – the result is consistent with the point score after the previous rounds. Such a decision can only be announced if the duel is terminated after half the regular time of fight (professional duels: 2 minutes 30 seconds of the second round, in the case of title fights after 2 minutes 30 seconds of the third round). No contest – when a fight is interrupted due to an unintentional foul or for reasons other than those mentioned above. At the same time, the conditions for making a technical decision were not fulfilled.

§18

Cuts and bandaging:

1. In the event of a cut or other injury, the competitor is sent back to the neutral corner, and a doctor decides his ability to fight. On the order of the referee the time measurement is stopped, the time keeper resumes the clock after the “fight” command.
2
. Each fighter has 5 minutes during the whole bout for technical or cutman support (change of gloves, etc.).
3. Only bandaging approved by the Promoter is allowed.

§19

Behavior of the cornermen during the fight:

1. Each fighter is allowed to have 3 cornermen maximum.
2. They are allowed to help his fighter, before the fight, during the fight and after the fight unless the referee says otherwise
3. During the break in between rounds 2 cornermen are allowed to enter the fighting area 4. Cornermen are obligated to provide mouthpiece and groin protector for their fighter.
5. During the fight cornermen must sit on the chairs provided by the promotor.
6. Cornermen must leave the fighting area cleaned after the break.
7. During the fight cornermen are not allowed to:
– Stand on the fighting platform on which the octagon is placed
– move around the fighting area
– Hit the platfrom
– Use abusive language
– Getting help from other people
– Helping the fighter physically without the direct instruction from the referee
8. During the break cornermen are not allowed to:
– Speak to referee
– Go to another team corner
– Give fighter any type of pills
– Give water in any type of glass vessel
– stitch and clog the wounds resulting from the fight.
9.  During the fight cornermen are allowed to
– Give instructions to their fighter
– Prepare equipment necessary for the break (water, bucket)
10. During the break cornermen are allowed to:
– Give instructions to their fighter
– perform activities that accelerate the regeneration of the fighter – use water to wash, cool the competitor
– stop bleeding and protect the cuts from bleeding.

11. For non-obeying the rules, cornermen may be punished with a reprimand, warning or disqualification. They can also cause a warning or disqualification of their fighter:

– a reprimand is given after the first breaking of the rules by the cornermen
– the warning involves the deduction of a 20% from the fighter’s fee,
– second warning involves the deduction of a 40% from the fighter’s fee,
– Another warning results in the disqualification of the fighter,
– disqualification can occur immediately when the rule break directly affected the course of the fight.

§20

Protests:

The competitor can submit an official protest in relation to the outcome of the fight.

The promoter can accept the protest only in case of gross mistakes in the selection and work of the judges, as well as other cases not specified in the regulations. The appointed chief of staff may file a written protest (foreign team in English) within 24 hours from the end of the fight after paying a deposit of 1000 euros to the representative of the promoter. The appeal college consisting of 3 independent judges who did not judge at the event will evaluate the protest within 72 hours from the date of its acceptance. The date of acceptance of the protest shall be the next working day after receipt of the protest letter and the deposit on the Promoter’s account.

In the event that the protest is rejected, the Promotor does not return the deposit. The Promotor notifies the media and interested parties about a possible change of the verdict.

The committee consisting of 2 representatives of the promoter and the main referee decides about all the matters not included in the above regulations.

We are the Polish Federation of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) - FEN Federation is the largest organizer of MMA and kickboxing fights in Poland. Jesteśmy polską federacją mieszanych sztuk walki (MMA) - Federacja FEN to największy w Europie organizator gal walk na zasadach MMA i Kick-boxing.

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