A big move has been made by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), which is that they will adopt the Unified Rules Of MMA.
However, a big exception is being made to those adopted rules, which is the definition of a grounded opponent will not be changing.
“We certainly didn’t agree with the both soles and both hands being down for a grounded opponent,” NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett said to MMA Fighting. “We have one hand — weight-bearing — with two soles of the feet as the definition. We think that fighters are putting themselves in harms way when they have to put both hands down with both feet.”
The Association Of Boxing Commissions & Combative Sports (ABC) voted to approve the new unified rules in 2016, but several athletic commissions opted against changing the definition of a grounded fighter. The new rules says a grounded fighter is one who has the palms of both hands on the mats, while the old rules state that anything other than the soles of the feet constituted a grounded fighter.
Bennett would also like to see all athletic commissions work with the same rules, instead of it being different, depending on where the fighters are competing at.
“I don’t think it’s in the best interest of fighters for the rules to be different in different commissions,” Bennett said. “I think it would be a good thing for us to vote on or agree on what’s in the best interest of the fighter. It’s a tough enough sport as it is, let alone having different rule sets in different states.”
You can view the most updated version of the Unified Rules Of MMA by clicking here.
