Month: May 2023

The Dis-Unified Rules of “Grounded” Fighters Plus Knee Strike Data

May 31, 2023

A few years back I wrote about how dis-unified the unified rules of MMA are in practice.  In short they are very scattered and inconsistent across jurisdictions. This week I obtained data via an open records request breaking this disparity down specifically for the definition of grounded opponents. Using the published rules across US State commissions … More The Dis-Unified Rules of “Grounded” Fighters Plus Knee Strike Data

Data Shows 12-6 Elbows No More Dangerous Than Other Legal Strikes

May 30, 2023

The 12-6 Elbow. One of the more bizarre fouls under MMA’s unified rules. A foul that some regulators insisted on including in the first draft of the unified rules and compromise was reached. Over the years there has been pushback to remove the foul but health and safety concerns about adding a new tool to … More Data Shows 12-6 Elbows No More Dangerous Than Other Legal Strikes

Data – Continuing Judge Education Drastically Improves Consistency in MMA and Boxing

May 26, 2023

Interesting data was shared by Anthony Cummings, the Director of Colorado Combative Sports Commission, in a regulatory hearing this week. Anthony notes that in 2021 their commission implemented continuing education for officials. Something that is not the industry norm. Split decisions (decisions where officials disagree on who the bout winner was) were drastically reduced as … More Data – Continuing Judge Education Drastically Improves Consistency in MMA and Boxing

Edmonton Lifts “Pause” for “Large Scale” Combat Sports

May 19, 2023

In the aftermath of Tim Hague’s tragic death during a boxing bout in Edmonton the City ‘paused’ all combat sports events. This ‘pause’ has now been lifted. Interestingly they are only green lighting large scale shows with promoters needing to secure a venue with a capacity of at least 5,000. A strange stipulation hoping to … More Edmonton Lifts “Pause” for “Large Scale” Combat Sports

Let’s Talk Nate Diaz vs Jake Paul, VADA, Texas and Cannabis

May 10, 2023

Nate Diaz is scheduled to box Jake Paul this summer in Texas. The fighters have agreed to VADA anti-doping testing. VADA is a private anti doping contractor who largely tests for the substances banned by the World Anti Doping Agency. With one key exception. They don’t test for cannabis. Texas, like any US State, has … More Let’s Talk Nate Diaz vs Jake Paul, VADA, Texas and Cannabis

Study – NHL Fighters Die Young. CTE Pathology Common.

May 10, 2023

A major Columbia University study was published this month finding that many NHL players die young and enforcers die younger. The study, titled Fighting and Penalty Minutes Associated With Long-term Mortality Among National Hockey League Players, 1967 to 2022, reviewed mortality rates among NHL players and broke down the findings based on the number of … More Study – NHL Fighters Die Young. CTE Pathology Common.