Division among regulatory bodies threatens MMA’s Unified Rules

LAS VEGAS — MMA’s Unified Rules are on the brink.

On Tuesday here, the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) will vote on multiple proposed rules, including major alterations like revised scoring criteria and an updated definition of a grounded fighter. There is a strong chance the body will approve some, if not all of the changes.

However, some commissions present at the 28th annual conference will vote against these new rules and not adopt them in their respective states even if passed. Other state commissions have not sent any representatives here and are pursuing the development of a rival organization to the ABC.

The result could be a frustrating one for fighters and fans — a situation where the sport’s Unified Rules are fractured and important regulations change state to state.

The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB), which has deputy commissioner Rhonda Uttley-Herring in attendance, is not in favor of the proposed new definition of a grounded fighter or the elimination of heel kicks to the kidney as a foul, NJSACB counsel Nick Lembo told MMA Fighting in a phone interview Monday.

If the ABC body votes to approve those changes, the NJSACB will not follow through and adopt them in its state, which is its right. The ABC does not have authoritative power over state commissions, but merely makes recommendations and gives guidelines.

The proposed definition of a grounded fighter sets out to eliminate what officials have dubbed “playing the game,” when fighters lean down and place a finger tip on the ground to avoid kicks or knees to the head. The current rule states that any part of the body other than the feet touching the ground means a fighter is grounded. The revised rule says that, too, but makes it so that if it’s a hand touching the ground it has to be both hands and either the palms or fists.

Lembo said that is a major concern for New Jersey, because it puts fighters in a situation where they can take knees and kicks to the head and face in a position where it is difficult to defend themselves.

“I am not in favor of anything that increases head strikes, especially in light of the NFL concussion lawsuits and what we’re learning now about head injuries,” Lembo said.

Instead of a rule change, Lembo proposes that referees make it clearer to fighters during rules meetings prior to events that “playing the game” will be illegal and not establish a fighter as being grounded.

New Jersey is also not in favor of removing the foul for heel kicks to the kidneys, for medical reasons. It’s rarely seen in MMA, though Lembo said any strikes to the kidneys are illegal in boxing. Lembo doesn’t think it’s prevalent enough as a maneuver to warrant altering the Unified Rules. He also doesn’t like the use of the word “damage” in the new proposed scoring criteria.

Damage has always been an insinuation in the scoring rules, but never actually written because of the raw verbiage. Lembo, as a lawyer thinking of legal …

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