The Nevada State Athletic Commission had a sit down this week and decided on some relatively significant rule changes for MMA so as a fan of MMA that writes about it… I thought I would give them some of my valuable valuable attention. While I am still a bit unclear about how these changes affect the rest of the states’ respective commissions, it is clear that the NSAC is a leader in organized combat sports and other states will likely follow suit. At the end of the day most of the UFC bouts are held in Nevada and if the UFC chooses to utilize one of these rule changes, they can ensure the bouts are held there, making this meeting of systemic importance.
The B.J. Penn Rule
Greasegate, the term endearingly tagged to the allegations that GSP’s trainers put grease on his body to make him harder for B.J. Penn to hold on to when their superfight fight hit the ground, sparked a rules change that will treat greasing the same as eye gouging, small joint manipulation, or biting. This means that a fighter can now be disqualified or deducted points if they don’t come into each round sans slippery skin. According to Yahoo News, B.J. Penn’s lawyer has been involved in bringing this rule to fruition and speculates that more specific measures will need to be taken eventually. Even the idea of a pre-fight shower has been thrown around. This is a classic case of a rule change addressing an unforeseen problem in the game. It is clearly necessary to address this problem the B.J. Penn rule is a really solid step in doing just that, perhaps the only necessary step. The new rule seems to be generally accepted as a positive. I am amused by name of the rule. It will always cast a little shadow over GSP/Penn II, smart move from The Prodigy and company.
Lets Take Another Look
Instant replay has finally found its way into MMA. Referees, and only referees, can now call for instant replay to determine weather questionable or match ending shots were within the realm of the rules. Here is a change I worry about. As it stands, instant replay will be beneficial in enforcing the rules of the fight. The logistics are perfect: referees discretion, limited use, hasn’t been rushed in, etc etc. I do fear what most sports fans fear when instant replay is implemented into their world, the fear of too much replay and not enough flow. This is particularly important in MMA where the breaks are limited to two to four a fight and the action is (ideally) continuous for up to five minutes. I am also a bit concerned about giving SOME of these referees more power. MMA referees are evolving just like the sport and some of them are not very good at what they do. Giving them more power will give them more opportunity to mess up. As long everyone approaches instant replay with the sport’s best interest in mind, it could really benefit everyone, helping to maintain fairness in the cage of play.
Are You Championship Caliber?
The last rule is the most potentially exciting but, as with many exciting changes in our sport, it comes with the greatest risk of setback. The NSAC has approved five round non-title fights for championship caliber athletes. Humm… Vegas, we may have a problem. Of course when you have fights like Couture/Nog or Rampage/Rashad determining weather or not a fighter is of championship quality is simple because both fighters have been champions. What about fights like Bisping/Henderson? Would we count Michael Bisping in that category? Of course the commission will be the ones to decide, but will there be a lobbying process? Does this open up the door for certain camps to lobby commissions? These are questions that will be answered in the not too distant future. The rule change could also cause some commotion after the fight as fighters will certainly bring up more “what ifs...” like what if this fight lasted two more rounds. It is not all bad though. Non-title main events are going to start feeling more like real main events. Who would not have loved to see Wandi/Franklin go two more rounds? Who would not have dug on Jardine/Jackson as a five round fight? This rule change will open up a number of possibilities for good fights to become great. It will also allow us to see what fighters look like in a five round fight before they actual get title shots. That could be a bad thing if you believe in the aura of the “championship rounds,” but it could also be good for helping fans and match-makers understand who deserves a title shot the most. Lets face it, I wouldn’t have a blog if I wasn’t interested in learning more about MMA and the athletes there in. All in all, I don’t think this is a horrible idea, but I am not sure we really need it. Sure it will be nice for the aforementioned reasons, but I am not sure it will provide results beyond selling a few more PPVs for the UFC and creating one more rout to controversy. It is what it is now so I will have fun watching the fights. I just hope the NSAC thinks Clay Guida is a championship caliber athlete.
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