Marc Ratner is the UFC Vice President Of Regulatory Affairs and the UFC VP recently gave a speech at the Association Of Boxing Commissions & Combative Sports (ABC) Conference.
During that speech, the UFC personality said that the lack of unified rules in MMA have started turning the sport into a mockery.
“It’s been very tough for us, running around the country and having to talk to each commission and saying, ‘We’re using new rules, we’re not using the rules,’” Ratner said. “It’s actually made a mockery, in a lot of ways, of the sport, which I really, really hate.”
The unified rules of MMA have been adopted by some athletic commissions such as the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC), while not being adopted by others like the New Jersey State Athletic Commission (NJSAC).
One major reason that Ratner wants all commissions to use the same rule set is that it would be fair for the fighters.
“I love boxing and I love MMA,” said Ratner. “They’re both really good. But for me to have to defend the rules makes it very, very tough. It’s not fair to the fighters, it’s not fair to the officials and it’s just uncomfortable. We’re getting hurt by the media. These television networks, they actually kill us. Every time I listen to all these broadcasts and they always say, ‘What’s wrong with this state or why haven’t we done this?’”
There is no word yet on when or if all the athletic commissions will eventually unify under the same rule set.
