MMA Rules Change: Sport Could Add Instant Replays, Various Rule Tweaks Soon

Recent MMA rules change suggests that the future of the popular combat sport is going to be a more fair environment for its athletes. Recent reports suggests that new rules might be implemented into MMA, as requested by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports.

According to BloodyElbow, the ABC has requested for MMA rule changes such as a tweak in the technical decision rule. When a fighter suffers an injury and is unable to continue, the fight goes to a technical decision given that the fighter has finished two rounds in a three round fight.

That is the current rule for technical decisions in an mixed martial arts competition. However, the ABC recommends an MMA rules change that a fight should still go to a technical decision even if a fighter was unable to finish two rounds.

This gives injured athletes more leeway in having their fight scored when it comes to a technical decision. Another MMA rules change that the ABC hopes to address is the situation where fighters lose control of a bodily function. In a situation where an athlete begins vomiting, urinates of display any presence of fecal matter, that fighter loses via technical knockout. Since these are considered as a "serious health risk" to anyone sharing the cage, the offender is penalized by losing by way of TKO.

The last noteworthy MMA rules change is the inclusion of instant replay that a referee can review in order to determine if a fight-ending outcome stems from an illegal blow. ABC's recommends that instant replays should reach athletic commissions worldwide and not just in Nevada, where it's currently available. ABC's call to make the instant replay's availability more "widespread" could ensure fair fights and determine any form of illegal strikes more effectively. 

Meanwhile, A recent report from DailyStar featured a bout where a fighter delivers a brutal illegal kick to his opponent. The ABC is trying to make sure that instances such as these are avoided. This makes ABC's push for new MMA rules change a more important issue. Not only for an evenly contested match but to also ensure safety and fairness in fights.

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Sports News, mixed martial arts, athletics, us combat sports, UFC

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