USIAA Varsity Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Rules:
Men's Weight Classes:
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Women's Weight Classes:
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Option #1 -- A ring used for a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must meet the following requirements:
- The ring must be no smaller than 20’ square and no larger than 32’ square within the ropes. One corner shall have a blue designation and the corner directly opposite must have a red designation.
- The ring floor must extend at least 18’ beyond the ropes. The ring floor must be padded with ensolite or similar closed-cell foam, with at least a 1” layer of foam padding. Padding must extend beyond the ring ropes and over the edge of the platform, with a top covering of canvas, duck or similar material tightly stretched and laced to the ring platform. Material that tends to gather in lumps or ridges must not be used.
- The ring platform must not be more than 4’ above the floor of the building and must have suitable steps for the use of the unarmed combatants.
- Ring posts must be made of metal, not more than 3” in diameter, extending from the floor of the building to a minimum height of 58 inches above the ring floor, and must be properly padded in a manner approved by the Commission. Ring posts must be at least 18” away from the ring ropes.
- There must be five ring ropes, not less than 1” in diameter and wrapped in soft material. The lowest ring rope must be 12” above the ring floor.
- There must not be any obstruction or object, including, without limitation, a triangular border, on any part of the ring floor.
- For each bout, the host school shall provide a clean water bucket, a clean plastic water bottle, and any other supplies as directed by the Commission, in each corner.
Option #2 -- A fenced area used in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must meet the following requirements:
- The fenced area must be circular or have at least six equal sides and must be no smaller than 20’ wide and no larger than 32’ wide.
- The floor of the fenced area must be padded with ensolite or another similar closed-cell foam, with at least a 1” layer of foam padding, with a top covering of canvas, duck or similar material tightly stretched and laced to the platform of the fenced area. Material that tends to gather in lumps or ridges must not be used.
- The platform of the fenced area must not be more than 4’ above the floor of the building and must have suitable steps for the use of the unarmed combatants.
- Fence posts must be made of metal, not more than 6” in diameter, extending from the floor of the building to a minimum height of 58” above the floor of the fenced area, and must be properly padded in a manner approved by the Commission.
- The fencing used to enclose the fenced area must be made of a material that will prevent an unarmed combatant from falling out of the fenced area or breaking through the fenced area onto the floor of the building or onto the spectators, including, without limitation, chain link fence coated with vinyl.
- Any metal portion of the fenced area must be covered and padded in a manner approved by the Commission and must not be abrasive to the unarmed combatants.
- The fenced area must have two entrances.
- There must not be any obstruction on any part of the fence surrounding the area in which the unarmed combatants are to be competing.
- For each bout, the host school shall provide a clean water bucket, a clean plastic water bottle, and any other supplies as directed by the Commission, in each corner.
Option #3 -- A NCAA-Approved wrestling mat used in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts must meet the following requirements:
- This format must be used for multi-team events such as the conference championship.
- A large outer circle between 32-42' in diameter that designates the fighting area is marked on the mat. The circumference line of that circle is called the boundary line.
- The fighting area is surrounded by a mat area or apron (or protection area) that is at least 5" in width that helps prevent serious injury. The mat area is designated by the use of contrasting colors or a 2" wide (51 mm) line, which is part of the wrestling area and included in bounds. The fighters are within bounds when any part of either fighter is on or inside this boundary line.
- The mat can be no thicker than 4" nor thinner than a mat with the shock-absorbing qualities of a 2" thick (51 mm) hair-felt mat.
- Inside the outer circle is usually an inner circle about 10' in diameter, designated by the use of contrasting colors or a 2" wide (51 mm) line, although this is no longer specified by the NCAA Wrestling Rules and Interpretations.
- Fighters are encouraged to stay near the center of the mat within the inner circle, or else they risk being penalized for stalling (that is, deliberately attempting to slow down the action of the match).
- Each fighter begins action at one of two 1" starting lines inside the inner circle that is 3' long.
- Two 1" lines close the ends of the starting lines and are marked red for the fighter from the visiting team and green for the fighter from the home team.
- The two starting lines are 10" apart from each other and form a rectangle in the middle of the wrestling area. This rectangle designates the starting positions for the three periods.
- Additional padding may be added under the mat to protect the fighters, especially if the fighters are competing on a concrete floor. All mats that are in sections are secured together.
Scholarship, Roster, and Coaching Rules:
- All teams must have the following coaches; Head Coach (any art), 1 Recruiter, 1 Boxing, 1 Kickboxing or Muay Thai, 1 Wrestling, and 1 BJJ or Judo.
- All men's programs can only have a max of 36 athletes during the regular season, while all women's programs can only have a max of 30 athletes;this limit is lifted to 146 & 140 total players for the men's & women's teams respectively for preseason tryouts & the summer workouts only.
- All programs can choose whether to allow athletic scholarships or not; start-up programs are given a max of 5 years to decide whether or not to provide athletic scholarships to players.
- All D1 scholarship programs can only have a max of 9.9 total scholarships, and a max of 5 full scholarship players.
- All D2 scholarship programs can only have a max of 9 total scholarships, and a max of 4 full scholarship players.
- All D3 scholarship programs can only have a max of 8 total scholarship players.
All D4 scholarship programs can only have a max of 20 total scholarships, and a max of 10 full scholarship players. - All men's programs can only have a max of 30 players on the active roster for all regular season matches, while all women's programs can only have a max of 25 players on the active roster.
- All programs are required to give all 5-6 inactive players & the 16-20 JV players (when they don't have games) free season tickets in the designated student sections for all home games.
- It is the responsibility of the home institution’s game-management personnel to ensure that the ring or cage and all of the surrounding facilities meet all regulations.
- The meet referee, or the head referee of a tournament, shall verbally alert home management of any variance from the stated facility and mat requirements, with questions and/or disagreements being resolved by the participating institutions’
- representatives.
- The host game management shall determine if official mat-side video is to be used. The host shall provide notification to participating coaches before weigh ins.
- Home game management shall see that recorded music not be played, bands not perform and artificial noisemakers not be used during fighting action.
- Photographers using still or motion devices, excluding official video review equipment, shall not be permitted within 5 feet of the edge of the ring or cage.
- It is recommended that the mat(s) be cleaned and disinfected before all dual meet events.
- It is also recommended that a disinfecting mechanism be available before a fighter steps onto the mat. Event management, medical personnel, referees and coaches should also follow hygiene recommendations before stepping into the ring or cage.
- In all weight classes, the bandages on each contestant's hand shall be restricted to soft gauze cloth of not more than 15yds in length and 2” in width, held in place by not more than 10’ of surgeon's tape, 1” in width, for each hand.
- Surgeon's adhesive tape shall be placed directly on each hand for protection near the wrist. The tape may cross the back of the hand twice and extend to cover and protect the knuckles when the hand is clenched to make a fist.
- The bandages shall be evenly distributed across the hand.
- Bandages and tape shall be placed on the contestant's hands in the dressing room in the presence of the NCAA and in the presence of the manager or chief second of his or her opponent.
- Under no circumstances are gloves to be placed on the hands of a contestant until the approval of the NCAA is received.
- Approved Combat Sambo headgears must be used by all contestants.
- Approved shin guards with instep pads, supplied by the NCAA and in good condition, must be worn by all contestants; As such, the preferred type shall be a tight fighting pull-on sock/neoprene type shin guard. The use of shin guards with Velcro type strap fasteners or utilizing any substance other than which the shin guard is made of shall be forbidden in competition (but not for training).
- Approved arm guards must be worn by all contestants.
- Male mixed martial artists shall wear a groin protector of their own selection, of a type approved by the NCAA.
- Female mixed martial artists may wear groin protectors if they so choose.
- Female mixed martial artists shall wear a chest protector during competition. The chest protector shall be subject to approval of the NCAA.
- Protection gear may not contain any metal part whatsoever.
- All contestants are required to wear a mouthpiece during competition. The mouthpiece shall be subject to examination and approval by the attending physician.
- The round cannot begin without the mouthpiece in place.
- If the mouthpiece is involuntarily dislodged during competition, the referee shall call time, clean the mouthpiece, and reinsert the mouthpiece at the first opportune moment without interfering with the immediate action.
- All contestants shall wear glove which are at least 4 ounces and are approved by the Commission. Generally, gloves should not weigh more than 6 ounces without the approval of the NCAA. Certain larger sized gloves, e.g. 2 XL - 4 XL, may be allowed even though they may slightly exceed 6 ounces.
- Gloves may be supplied by the NCAA, but all contestants may supply their own gloves for participation.
- Any additional padding for the knees or ankles is optional, but all equipment must be approved by the NCAA.
- All pieces of equipment used by the contestants, compulsory as well as optional, shall be checked by the referee before the match.
- Each contestant shall wear mixed martial arts shorts (board shorts), biking shorts (vale tudo shorts), kick-boxing shorts or other shorts approved by the NCAA.
- Gi's, shirts, or biking pants are prohibited during competition except that female contestant's musts wear shirts approved by the NCAA.
- Shoes and any type of padding on the feet are prohibited during competition.
- Each unarmed combatant must be clean and present a tidy appearance.
- The excessive use of grease or any other foreign substance may not be used on the face or body of an unarmed combatant. The referees or the Commission shall cause any excessive grease or foreign substance to be removed.
- The NCAA shall determine whether head or facial hair presents any hazard to the safety of the unarmed combatant or his opponent or will interfere with the supervision and conduct of the contest or exhibition. If the head or facial hair of an unarmed combatant presents such a hazard or will interfere with the supervision and conduct of the contest or exhibition, the unarmed combatant may not compete in the contest or exhibition unless the circumstances creating the hazard or potential interference are corrected to the satisfaction of the NCAA.
- No contestant may wear any jewelry or other piercing accessories while competing in the contest or exhibition.
- The NCAA may prevent any contestant from competing in any match or event due to the contestant’s personal hygiene, length of head hair, length of facial hair, or any other aspects of personal appearance that may present a hazard to the safety of the contestant or their opponent, or that may interfere with the supervision or conduct of the event.
- Each contest is to be for 3 rounds, each round no more than 3 minutes duration, with a rest period of 1 minute between each round.
- If the third period ends in a tie, a one-minute, sudden victory period occurs. Both contestants start in the neutral position. The first contestant to score a takedown wins. Time advantage is not used in any sudden victory period.
- If no points are scored in the sudden victory period, then the match is called a draw.
- Fighters must report to the scorer's table prior to going into the ring or cage.
- A clerical error in recording team scoring in a dual meet or tournament that does not necessitate additional wrestling may be corrected when discovered; There is a 48-hour time period to correct the recording and computation of a team's score.
- The public address announcer at all dual meets and tournaments should read a spectator sportsmanship statement before competition begins each meet or tournament session.
- Unsportsmanlike conduct will be assessed the head coach if fighters report to the mat and are not properly equipped or not ready to wrestle.
- When a visual clock is not available, the match timekeeper shall call out minutes of the match and display with visual cards the number of seconds remaining in the last minute of each period at 45, 30, and 15-second intervals.
- The referee is the sole arbiter of a contest and is the only individual authorized to stop a contest. The referee may take advice from the ringside physician and/or the Commission with respect to the decision to stop a contest.
- The referee and the ringside physician are the only individuals authorized to enter the ring/fighting area at any time during competition other than the rest periods and subsequent to the contest ending.
- A contestant who indicates an injury for preventing scoring or being submitted must be charged with an injury timeout.
- The length of timeout periods for bleeding is left to the discretion of the referee.
- If a physician recommends an injured fighter not continue, even though consciousness is not involved, he shall not be overruled. Unconsciousness - written approval by a physician.
- 2 Knockdowns in a single round results in an early stoppage by KO.
- A KO is also given when inflicting two separate 8 counts to an opponent.
- A coach shall be permitted, without penalty, to approach the scorer’s table with the intent of correcting or asking for an interpretation of the score or time.
- When a coach believes the referee has misapplied a rule, the coach may approach the scorer’s table and request that the match be stopped when there is no significant action. The referee and coach shall discuss the situation in a rational manner directly in front of the scorer’s table. Both fighters shall remain in the center of the ring or cage. Failure to comply shall be penalized as a control-of-fight-area violation.
- At this point, there are only two alternatives for the referee to consider.
- If there was a misapplication of a rule, the referee shall make the necessary adjustments at the scorer’s table and resume the match. If there was no misapplication error, the referee shall determine the coach’s action as intentional delay of the match and shall penalize the coach according to Rule 3.13.4.
- Badgering the referee by the coaching staff or any member of the team shall not be permitted. Failure to comply shall be considered questioning the referee’s judgment and shall be penalized according to Rule 3.13.4.
- Penalties for questioning the referee and for control of the mat area shall be cumulative and sequential.
- All bouts will be evaluated and scored by 1 judge who shall evaluate the contest from a outside location around the ring/fighting area. The referee may not be the judge.
- Home-Team Designation: For scoring and identification purposes, the home team will be considered “green” and the visiting team “red.”
- STRIKES (punches, knees, kicks, etc.) (1-2 Points):
a) 1 Point scored for Punches connecting to the Face or areas of the Temple, Ears & Chin. (No Score is awarded for punches delivered to the top of the Skull or to the back of the head).
b) 1 Point scored for Punches to the Body (but not when blocked on the forearms).
c) 2 Points Scored for Kicks connecting to the Head or Body.
d) 1 Point Scored for Kicks connecting to the Legs.
d) 2 Points Scored for Kicks connecting to the Arms - across the Biceps and Shoulder area.
e) 2 Points Scored for Knees/Elbows connecting to the Arms - across the Biceps and Shoulder area.
h) 2 Points Scored for Knees/Elbows connecting to the Body.
i) 1 Point Scored for Knees connecting to the Legs.
j) No score(s) are awarded when blocked on the forearms or legs (depending on the strikes attempted and where they will land).
k) If an Eight Count is given the player that caused the count is awarded 5 additional points. - ESCAPES (1 Point):
a) A fighter score one point for getting away or getting to a neutral position when their opponent has them down on the mat (getting up from bottom).
b) For the bottom fighter to secure an escape, they must place themselves in the neutral position, causing his opponent to lose control. The defensive fighter may also be awarded an escape going out-of-bounds if his adversary is in-bounds at the completion of the move.
c) The official will indicate one point for the wrestler who earns an escape.
d) The stand-up, forward or granby roll, sit-out turn-in, and sit-out turn-out are examples of escape maneuvers. - REVERSALS (2 Points):
a) A fighter scores two points when their opponent has them down on the mat and they come from underneath and gain control of your opponent. The defensive fighter may procure a reversal by moving from the bottom position to the top position, gaining control of his opponent either on the mat or on their feet.
b) Like the escape, a reversal can be obtained crossing the out-of-bounds line if one of the fighters is in-bounds. The referee will designate two points for a reversal.
c) The switch, side roll and peterson roll are examples of reversals. - TAKEDOWNS & THROWS (2 Points):
a) A takedown is the action of bringing your opponent to the ground using projections, trips or takedown techniques (ex: single-leg). However, to be awarded the 2 points you must keep top position on your opponent for three seconds.
b) For example, if you takedown your opponent but he gets up before you can control him on the ground for 3 seconds, you will not be given the 2 points.
c) On the other hand, if you are trying a takedown and your opponent pulls guard without defending the takedown, you will be given 2 points for a takedown.
d) Guard pulling is not a defense against takedowns and you have to remember that you need control on your opponent to successfully pull guard. - SWEEPS (2 Points):
a) A sweep is the action of reversing your opponent in a way for you to go from bottom position to top position. However, to be awarded the 2 points, you must use your legs to sweep your opponent and keep top control for 3 seconds.
b) For example, if your opponent has side control on you and you “buck” him over in a way that you now have side control on him, you will not be given the 2 points.
c) Same thing is applicable from full mount. The sweep has to start from you guard (closed, half, open, spider, etc.) for you to use your legs and be awarded the points. - KNEE ON THE BELLY (2 Points):
a) To be awarded the two points, you have to keep control of the position for 3 seconds. Both knees can be used (inside or outside, obviously not at the same time) and you do not have to be postured all the way, meaning you can stay tight to your opponent and still be given the two points.
b) However, you will not be given additional points if you switch from one knee to the other or from one side to the other. If the referee judges that your knee is too much on the side (ribs) rather than on the belly, you have to improve your position to be given the points. - PASSING THE GUARD (3 Points):
a) Passing the guard is the action of bringing your whole body beyond your opponent’s legs and keeping the position for three seconds. If your opponent rolls to his knees (turtle position) before you can control him, you will not be given the points unless you bring him back to side control, north-south position or full mount for 3 seconds. - FULL MOUNT (4 Points):
a) To be awarded the four points, you have to keep control of the position for three seconds. Your hips also have to be higher than your opponent’s hips, meaning you will not be given point if you are in a position where your legs are wrapped around his thighs for example.
b) Also, a mounted triangle is not considered as full mount. If you want the 4 points, you have to let go of the triangle and keep the full mount position for 3 seconds. - BACK CONTROL (4 Points):
a) To be awarded the four points, you need both your hooks to be in and you have to keep control of the position for three seconds. The hooks can be crossed or not, but the body triangle position is not considered as back control. If you take out one hook after receiving your 4 points and you put it back a moment later, you will not be awarded any more points. - SUBMISSION ATTEMPTS (3-4 Points):
a) A fighter gets submission attempt points when they almost but not quite get their opponent into either a choke or submission.
b) A submission attempt is when 1) both shoulders are held for at least two seconds within four inches of the mat, or 2) one shoulder touches the mat and the other shoulder is at a 45 degree angle coming down to the mat, or 3) the fighter is held in a high bridge or back on both elbows, or 4) manages to partially finish any choke or submission technique while either standing or on the the ground.
c) If a submission attempt lasts for 5 seconds or less, the fighter gets 3 points. If a submission attempt lasts for more than 5 seconds, the fighter gets 4 points. - TIME ADVANTAGE or "Riding Time" (1 point):
a) Whenever a fighter is controlling an opponent on the mat in such a way that prevents an escape or a reversal, he is gaining time advantage (or riding time).
b) An assistant timekeeper then records the time advantage of each fighter throughout the match. At the end of the third period, 1 point is awarded to the fighter with the greater time advantage, provided that the difference of time advantage between the two fighters is 1 minute or more. - COMBINATIONS (3+ points):
a) Any striking combination will award points based on the number of strikes landed (Ex: Jab/Cross/Round Kick = 3 points).
b) Any Striking/Grappling combination will ward points based on the number of strikes landed and the point value of the grappling move (Ex: Jab/Cross/Takedown = 4 points).
- Submission by 1) Physical Tap Out, 2) Verbal Tap Out, or 3) Technical Submission: When a submission is executed to its completeness which cause the referee to intervene and stop the contest (Example, a choke causes a fighter to go unconscious, or a joint lock causes a fracture).
- Knockout by 1) When Referee stops the contest (TKO), 2) When an injury as a result of a legal maneuver is sever enough to terminate a bout (TKO), or 3) When contestant being rendered unconscious due strikes or kicks (KO).
- Decision via the scorecards, including 1) Technical decision (lead by 15+ points or when the bout is prematurely stopped due to injury and a contestant is leading), 2) Majority Decision (lead by 8-14 points), and 3) Decision (lead by less than 8 points).
- Disqualification & forfeit.
- Submission, knockout, default, disqualification, forfeit = 6 points.
- Technical decision (led by at least 15 points at the end of the 3rd round, 20 points in either the 1st or 2nd round, or when the bout is prematurely stopped due to injury and a contestant is leading) = 5 points.
- Major decision (led by 8-14 points) = 4 points.
- Decision (led by less than 8 points) = 3 points.
- Technical Draw or No Decision = 2 points to both teams.
- Fighters may Punch/Strike with a Closed Fist.
- Fighters may Strike with a Open Hand.
- Fighters may Strike with the Heel of their Palm to the Head & Body but not the Mask of the Face.
- Fighters may strike with their knees, shins and feet to all parts of the body when the fight is standing up, except the head and the groin.
- Once one fighter's knee touches the ring floor or one of his hands/arms to support him, no kicks are allowed to that fighter's head as he is then considered "Grounded" or "on the ground".
- A "Grounded" fighter may up-kick to a standing fighters face, as long as he is not grounded too.
- All wrestling, judo, and jujitsu throws and takedowns are permitted.
- All chokes can be done with the arms and legs.
- Elbow, shoulder, wrist, knee & ankle locks are allowed.
- Neck cranks, spine locks, bicep/calf slicers (crushers), and flying scissors takedowns are not allowed.
- The maximum time allowed for the clinch hold is 5 seconds, to reduce spoiling and encourage action; Players Clinch-Holding will be separated, once no Knee Strikes are being delivered.
- If a contestant falls to the ground due to a takedown, throw, hit, surprise or loss of balance the match continues as long as the contestant can put up a proper defense and assumes an active ground position.
- If a contestant is knocked down and can’t put up a proper defense and/or stays down, the referee shall interrupt the match immediately.
- Disqualification may occur after any combination of fouls or after a flagrant foul at the discretion of the referee.
- Fouls may result in a point being deducted by the official scorekeeper from the offending contestant's score. The scorekeeper, not the judges, will be responsible for calculating the true score after factoring in the point deduction.
- Only a referee can assess a foul. If the referee does not call the foul, judges must not make that assessment on their own and should not factor such into their scoring calculations.
- Butting with the head.
- Eye gouging of any kind.
- Biting.
- Spitting at an opponent.
- Pulling of hair, nose or ears.
- Fish hooking.
- Groin attacks of any kind.
- Putting a finger into any orifice or any cut or laceration of an opponent.
- Striking downward using the point of the elbow (i.e. Downward or Spiking Elbows (12 O'Clock and 6 O'Clock Elbows)).
- Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
- Strikes to the neck, throat, spine, kidneys, joints, groin, and knees
a) Kicking to the kidney with a heel.
b) Grabbing the clavicle. - Hammer fists.
- Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
- Chin ripping.
- Kicking or kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
- Stomping a grounded opponent.
- Holding the fence or rope (if available).
- Intentional grabbing of competition uniform and protection gear; grabbing the wrist is fine.
- Using abusive language in fenced ring/fighting area.
- Engaging in any unsportsmanlike conduct that causes injury to an opponent.
- Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
- Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
- Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the round.
- Initiating an attack once both competitors are out of bounds.
- Argument/insults towards anybody present in the competition hall.
- Intentional breaking of bones or joints (i.e. not giving the opponent’s enough time to tap in submission situations).
- Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
- Throwing opponent out of ring/fighting area.
- Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
- Slams in defense of submission attempts and if opponent’s body is above waist level.
- Spiking an opponent (Throws where the opponent is intended to land solely on his/her head and/or neck).
- Back splashes from standing position.
- Interference by the corner.
- Neck cranks (crucifix, full-nelson, can opener, etc.).
- Applying any foreign substance to the hair or body to gain an advantage.
- Single hand or fingertip choking.
- Forearm strikes and or rounded elbows to the head.
- Strikes against the spine or the back of the head.
- Knees against the head.
- Inside & outside heel-hooks.
- Combination of joint locks and throws
- Throws where the opponent is intended to land solely on his/her head and/or neck, so called spiking.
- Locks on fingers and toes, so called small joint manipulation.
- Holding fewer than 4 fingers or toes.
- Stomps against the opponent’s feet.
- Kicks and knees from an active ground position against the head of the opponent when he/she is standing.
- The referee shall call timeout.
- The referee shall order the offending contestant to a neutral location.
- The referee shall check the fouled contestant's condition and safety.
- The referee shall then assess the foul to the offending contestant and deduct points if the referee deems it appropriate, and notify the commission, the corners, the official scorekeeper of his decision on whether the foul was accidental or intentional and whether a point is to be taken away.
- A fouled contestant has up to 5 minutes to recuperate. This is not applicable to all fouls.
- On the 1st offense, the offender will be given a verbal warning.
- On the 2nd offense, the offender's opponent will be given an advantage.
- On the 3rd offense, the offender's opponent will be given 2 points.
- After the 3rd offense, the referee may disqualify the athlete for any further fouls.
- The referee will verbally notify the bottom contestant of the foul.
- When the round is over, the referee will assess the foul and notify the commission, the corners, the judges and the official scorekeeper.
- The referee may terminate a contest based on the severity of a foul. For such a flagrant foul, the contestant committing the foul shall lose by disqualification.
- A fighter who has been struck with a low blow is allowed up to 5 minutes to recover from the foul as long as in the ringside doctor's opinion the fighter may possibly continue on in the contest.
- If the fighter states that they can continue on before the five minutes of time have expired, the referee shall, as soon as practical, restart the fight.
- If the fighter goes over the 5 minute time allotment, and the fight cannot be restarted, the contest must come to an end with the outcome determined by the round and time in which the fight was stopped.
- If a contest of mixed martial arts is stopped because of an accidental foul, the referee shall determine whether the unarmed combatant who has been fouled can continue or not. If the unarmed combatant's chance of winning has not been seriously jeopardized as a result of the foul and if the foul did not involve a concussive impact to the head of the unarmed combatant who has been fouled, the referee may order the contest or exhibition continued after a recuperative interval of not more than 5 minutes. Immediately after separating the unarmed combatants, the referee shall inform the Commission's representative of his determination that the foul was accidental.
- If a fighter is fouled by blow that the referee deems illegal, the referee should stop the action and call for time. The referee may take the injured fighter to the ringside doctor and have the ringside doctor examine the fighter as to their ability to continue on in the contest. The ringside doctor has up to 5 minutes to make their determination. If the ringside doctor determines that the fighter can continue in the contest, the referee shall as soon as practical restart the fight. Unlike the low blow foul rule, the fighter does not have up to 5 minutes of time to use, at their discretion, and must continue the fight when instructed to by the referee.
- For a foul other than a low blow, if the injured fighter is deemed not fit to continue, by the referee, the referee must immediately call a halt to the bout. If the fighter is deemed not fit to continue, by the referee, even though some of the 5 minute foul time is still remaining, the fighter cannot avail himself of the remaining time and the fight must be stopped.
- If the referee stops the contest and employs the use of the ringside doctor, the ringside physician's examinations shall not exceed 5 minutes. If 5 minutes is exceeded, the fight cannot be re-started and the contest must end.
- If an injury sustained during competition as a result of a legal maneuver is severe enough to terminate a bout, the injured contestant loses by technical knockout.
- If an injury is sustained during competition as ta result of an intentional foul, as determined by the referee, and the bout is allowed to continue, the referee shall notify the scorekeeper to automatically deduct two points from the contestant who committed the foul.
- If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough to terminate a bout, the contestant causing the injury loses by disqualification.
- If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul, as determined by the referee, causes the injured contestant to be unable to continue at a subsequent point in the contest, the injured contestant shall win by technical decision, if he or she is ahead on the scorecards. If the injured contestant is even or behind on the score cards at the time of stoppage, the outcome of the bout shall be declared a technical draw.
- If a contestant injures himself or herself while attempting to foul his or her opponent, the referee shall not take any action in his or her favor, and the injury shall be treated in the same manner as an injury produced by a fair blow.
- If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an accidental foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout shall result in a no contest if stopped before two rounds have been completed in a three round bout or if stopped before three rounds have been completed in a five round bout.
- If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an accidental foul, as determined by the referee, is severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout shall result in a technical decision awarded to the contestant who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped only when the bout is stopped after two rounds of a three round bout, or three rounds of a five round bout have been completed.
- Incomplete rounds should be scored utilizing the same criteria as the scoring of other rounds up to the point said incomplete round is stopped.
- A fighter must normally have his weight assessed by a member of the institution's athletics medical staff (e.g. a physician, certified athletic trainer, or registered dietician) before the first official team practice; the weight assessed is then their minimum weight class.
- The athletics medical staff member and the head coach then review all of the assessed weights of the wrestling team members and certify them online at the website of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA). After the certification, the fighter may not compete below that weight class and may only compete at one weight class higher than their minimum weight.
- If a fighter does gain weight over their certified weight class and fights at two weight classes above it, they forfeit their previous lowest weight class for the one weight class below where they wrestled.
- If a contestant wishes to weigh-in and fight at only one weight class above their certified weight class and later return to their lowest certified weight class, they may do so. However, the fighter may only return to that certified weight class according to the weight-loss plan of the National Wrestling Coaches Association.
- The contestant shall meet a set weight within a prescribed time at the official weigh-in
- of the competition, as supervised by officials appointed by the organizer.
- The contestant shall be weighed no later than 1 hour and no earlier than 12 hours before the match starts.
- Opposing contestants shall be weighed in at the same time.
- All contestants shall weigh in wearing no more than a suitable undergarment.
- In dual meets, all fighters are allowed to get on and off a scale 3 times in succession.
- A one pound additional allowance may be granted each day for all wrestlers. In order to be granted this one-pound additional allowance, a minimum of 48 hours advance notice is required for your opponent(s).
- For the first two dual meets after the Thanksgiving & Christmas breaks, all fighters are allowed to have a 3-pound weight allowance.
- At least one licensed physician shall be appointed contest physician.
- Contestants are required to provide certificates for Hepatitis B (HBsAg), Hepatitis C, (HCVsAb) and HIV tests. These certificates cannot be older than 1 year.
- The physician shall examine all contestants before they compete. The examination shall take place on the same day as the match.
- Check-list: heart, blood pressure, pulse, lungs, hearing, teeth, evidence of a hernia, musculature, skin, negative Hepatitis B (HBsAg), Hepatitis C (HCVsAb) and HIV tests.
- If a contestant is deemed by the physician to be out of shape, suffering from injury or illness, affected by drugs or narcotics, mentally unbalanced or in any other way unfit to participate in the match, the contestant shall not be permitted to compete.
- Women are not allowed to compete when pregnant and pregnancy tests will be administered as part of the medical examination.
- The physician shall be present during each match. The physician shall interrupt the match if he/she deems a contestant unfit to continue. In such an event the physician shall immediately call for the attention of the referee by throwing a towel into the competition area.
- If a contestant needs assistance in getting back to the corner for the round break, the contestant shall be examined by the physician who among other things shall examine balance and responsiveness while standing without support.
- The physician shall be risk averse when making judgment calls and always consider a “worst case-scenario”.
- If the physician finds it necessary for the contestant to have further examinations, he/she shall send the contestant to a hospital.
- In the event of a suspected injury such as for example a slight concussion, the physician is allowed to detain the contestant to conduct a follow-up exam. The contestant shall in such an event stay on site. At such a follow-up examination the physician shall determine whether the contestant is in need of further care or not, and if yes whether or not that includes being sent to a hospital for further examination, and if applicable recommend follow-up treatment. All decisions and conclusions made during the follow-up exam shall be documented by the physician and handed in to the organizer.
- In case of a knockout the physician shall determine how long the contestant shall be put on suspension and have said decision documented.
- A first violation in dehydration practice results in a suspension for the next dual meet; A second violation s results in a suspension for the remainder of the season.
- The contestant shall have no less than one (1) and no more than two (2) coaches.
- The coaches are only allowed to enter the competition area during round break and then only in close proximity to their contestant’s corner.
- All equipment shall be removed from the competition area at the end of the round break by the coaches and they shall also ensure that the competition area is kept dry and clean to prevent slipping.
- During the round break the coaches are allowed to give verbal instructions to the contestant.
- The coaches are allowed to bring the contestant water and bagged ice.
- During the round break the coaches are required to inform the referee of any injuries sustained by the contestant.
- The coaches shall bring towels to the competition area so that if they find their contestant unable to continue they may throw in the towel, thus forfeiting the match.
- The coaches can give advice and encouragement in a contained manner during the course of the match.
- The contestants can be told off, warned or disqualified for an offense against the rules made by the contestant’s coaches.
- Must be trained prior to event.
- Must have extensive knowledge of martial arts.
- Must be professional at all times.
- Must be focused on said divisions at all times.
- Must know and understand the rules, points, etc.
- Must be able to communicate clearly with the head ref.
- Must be unbiased, impartial and follow the exact orders of the head ref and commissioner of the NCAA.
- Must be appointed prior to event or division. No last minute substitutes.
- Must not have a fighter or participant in said division or match.
- Cannot change during a division, must work position throughout division.
- Immediately after the weigh-in for a dual meet or multiple dual meets conducted on the same day, coaches may mutually agree to determine the order of matches to be wrestled, allowing for a particular weight class to be featured. Once the first weight class is established, subsequent matches will continue in the traditional sequence of increasing weight class.
- If coaches cannot agree on the fighting order, a random draw shall be conducted to determine which weight class will be fought first. Note: For example, if the 174-pound weight class, an even-numbered weight, is selected by mutual consent or random draw, the sequence of weight classes would be 174, 184, 197, 235, Heavyweight and then 125 through 165.
- The team whose captain(s) chose the even weight classes would have its choice to start the second period at 174 pounds.
- When multiple dual meets are wrestled on the same day at different sites, the order of matches to be fought at the second site will be decided by mutual agreement or a random draw conducted by the coaches, not more than one hour before the first match.
- 4 points for a win.
- 2 points for a draw.
- 1 "bonus" point for scoring any combination of at least 4 tap-outs and/or knockouts.
- 1 "bonus" point for winning while scoring at least 3 more tap-outs and/or knockouts than the opponent.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing by 7 points or less.
- 1 "bonus" point for losing in overtime.
- All D1 programs will compete in 14 dual meets (7h/7a) over the course of the season, with a max of 1 dual meet per week; Regular season competition begins in the first Monday in November and continues until the final Monday in February.
- All D2 & D3 programs will compete in 12 dual meets (6h/6a) over the course of the season, with a max of 1 dual meet per week; Regular season competition begins in the first Monday in November and continues until the second Monday in February.
- All D4 programs will compete in 10 dual meets (5h/5a) over the course of the season, with a max of 1 dual meet per week; Regular season competition begins in the first Monday in November and continues until the final Monday in January.
- All programs must have a starting rotation of at least 2 fighters in each weight class, with each fighter resting at least 10-12 days before being allowed to fight again.
- All programs will take Christmas break off with a max of 5 optional team practices for all athletes; Once the season starts up again, all athletes will have a 3-pound exception for the first 2 matches.
- Post-season competition begins in the second week of March with the regional championships, and ends in the final week of April.
- Dual meets usually take place on evenings during the school week (Monday through Friday); on Saturday mornings, afternoons, or evenings; or even on Sunday mornings or afternoons during the MMA season and begin with weigh-ins at a maximum of one hour before the meet begins.
- Athletes are also examined by a physician or a certified athletic trainer for any communicable skin diseases.
- If there are any communicable skin diseases, it is a ground for disqualification.
- The coach or athletic trainer can provide written documentation from a physician that a skin infection of a fighter would not be communicable.
- If a student-athlete does not make weight, they are ineligible for that weight class and either 1) the 2nd string athlete competes in their stead or 2) a forfeit is scored depending the number of athletes in each weight class.
- In all cases, the referee will call the fighters from each team who have been designated as captains.
- The colored disk will then fall to the floor and the fighter-captain who won the disk toss may choose which weight class will start the match.
- For example, if the 157lb weight class competes first, the succeeding fighting matches will follow until the heavyweight class. Then, beginning at 125 lb, the rest of the matches will follow until the 149 lb match.
USIAA JV Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) Rules:
Scholarship and Roster Rules:
- All JV teams can only have a max of 20 players (men) or 16 (women) separate from the varsity team.
- All JV players must play in at least 2 matches per season.
- All programs must play a 6-duel (3h/3a) JV season beginning on the first Saturday of November and ending on the last Saturday of January:
a) This must be extended to 8 for the military academies & senior military colleges, as the JV team must also play their respective preparatory school(s) at least once during the season.
b) All JV duels can only consist of 2 or 3 teams.
c) All JV teams must use 2 NCAA-Approved wrestling mats next to each other so all of the matches can go by much faster.
d) All service academies & senior military colleges must also play their respective preparatory school or designated senior military college rival at least once. - All of the JV teams must play all of their home games in the varsity program's arena in any of the following methods:
a) At least 3 hours (for 2-team duels) or 5 hours (for 3-team duels) before the varsity matches take place or
b) When the varsity team is away; there are no overtime periods in JV games to make sure that the varsity game can start on time, or
c) On a Friday, Sunday, or Monday evening following a varsity duel. - People with tickets to the varsity duels may also go to the JV duel 3-5 hours before for free if they wish, they must show their ticket for the varsity game.
- All JV matches consist of 3 2-minute rounds, as opposed to 3 3-minute rounds in varsity matches.