Outside Source
The Association of Boxing Commissions on Wednesday issued clarifications regarding judging mixed martial arts bouts, and the changes—made at the behest of the Combative Sports Mixed Martial Arts Rules and Regulations Committee—could go into effect as soon as this weekend. UFC Vegas 109, also known as UFC on ESPN 72, goes down this Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and features a middleweight headliner pitting Roman Dolidze against Anthony Hernandez.
In addition to emphasizing damage as a key for determining a round winner, the rules also note that it must be viewed as essential for a judge to score a 10-8 round. That means dominance and duration together are no longer enough and must be accompanied by damage. Moreover, when judges cannot determine a round winner via damage and instead move to aggressiveness or fighting area control, they should no longer do so through tiered means. Instead, it must be based on “whichever impacted the round in a more significant manner.”
ABC defines damage as “legal fighting techniques, the results of which lessen an opponent’s capacity and/or will to compete.” It includes knockdowns; heavy and/or concussive legal strikes to vital targets; legal strikes that force an opponent to retreat, readjust or default to defense exclusively; striking and/or grappling that leads to visual injury like swelling, hematomas, lacerations or bruising; grappling or submission attempts that hyperextend joints or cause rotational damage; and chokes that cause visible distress.
“Damage is the most highly valued component in judging a round because it is not an action but rather a direct result of effective fighting,” the clarification read. “Damage is a measure of effect on the opponent; the results of which lessen an opponent’s capacity and/or will to compete and has immediate or cumulative impact towards ending the match with priority given to immediate damage over cumulative damage within a round.”
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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