Outside Source
UFC Edmonton could feature some rarely seen techniques broken out by its fighters.
The previously approved changes to the unified rules are in play Saturday at the UFC fight night event in Edmonton, Canada, specifically the use of formerly banned 12-6 elbows and what determines whether a fighter is grounded and thus unable to be struck with kicks or knees to the head.
At the start of Saturday’s broadcast, the new rules were listed as follows:
- The downward or “12-6” elbow has been removed from list of fouls
- Language regarding a grounded opponent has been updated: Fighter is grounded if any part of body (not hands or feet) are in contact with the ground
Referee Marc Goddard recorded a video prior to the start of the event, further elaborating on the changes.
Watch Goddard’s explanations below.
Tonight’s event in Edmonton Canada shall be the first under the newly revised & accepted Unified Rules of MMA. I’ve put together a little explanation that can hopefully help remind & clarify what we are officials shall now be looking for. Im excited for how our sport is evolving!… pic.twitter.com/LZ1bsuoSBX
— Marc Goddard (@marcgoddard_uk) November 2, 2024
“Any motion of the elbow in any position is now allowed,” Goddard said. “What I want people to remember is the motion, i.e. the movement, the straight up, straight down, is now legal, but the illegal target areas shall remain the same. So if you do see referees or officials talking to fighters—generally you’ll see this play out against the fence if they’re defending a double or a single—what we’re looking for is now we don’t have to concentrate on the motion of straight up or straight down, but we’re still being mindful of the fact that the point of the elbow will not land anywhere near the back of the head or the nape of the neck area. So that’s one thing to remember.”
Goddard went on to discuss the new grounded fighter rules, which he expects fans are more intrigued by.
“When a fighter would put a single hand or fist on the mat, you could not knee them in the head,” Goddard said. “Now, the new revision tells us that we can. So if a fighter elects to put a hand down, even two hands, flat on the mat, while still standing, they can be legally kicked or kneed in the head.
“To make themselves grounded and not be able to be kneed in the head, they would have to put any other body part in contact with the mat, excluding the hands. Generally, what you’ll see is guys either sitting straight down or taking a knee. When they do that, they can no longer be legally kicked or kneed in the head, so they can’t stand up and play the game anymore.”
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
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