K-1 MMA RULES

 

Article 1.            There shall be no weight restriction for the fighters in the fights.

 

Article 2.            The fighters shall wear open finger gloves, which will be provided by K-1.

 

Article 3.            Upon fighter’s choice, Gi, kneepads, elbow-pads, shin guards, taping and ankle supporter, can be worn, but should be checked by the referee before the fights.

§ Mouthpiece and groin protection are mandatory for fighters. Tape and bandage can be used following this, for knuckles is allowed only one round, of bandage and two rounds of tape,  on the fists there is no restrictions about bandage or tape, but it will be checked by the K-1’s official, if there is excessive use.

 

Article 4.            Is prohibited the use of substances as oil, ointment spray, Vaseline, massaging cream, hair cream, to be applied to the fighter’s body, before or during the fight. When one of those substances is used, the fighter gets disqualification.

 

Article 5.            When a fighter wants to wear wrestling shoes, the shoes must to get the approval, during the rules meeting. In addition, before the fight, the K-1’s official will check to ensure that is the same approved before.

 

Article 6.      The ring is 7m by 7m-square shape, which K-1 has approved.

 

Article 7.      A fight is five (5) minutes x three (3) round formats. There are no extra rounds. The interval between each round shall be two (2) minutes.

 

Article 8.            The winner shall be determinate by one of the following.

 

When give up, submission and/or forfeiture is expressed either verbally or by tapping more than three times on the mat or the opponent’s body.

 

Referee Stop

When the fighter, is remarkably superior to the other and the referee judges the inferior is in danger if the fight continues.

 

Doctor Stop

When a fighter gets an injured by the opponent’s legal attack and if a ringside doctor determines that the injured fighter is incapable of continuing the fight, the injured fighter loses the fight. However, if the injury is resulted by the illegal action of the opponent, he loses the fight. For the ringside doctor’s examination, a sub-referee takes the fighter’s primary comer man to the neutral comer to inform him/her with the doctor’s diagnosis and instruction. When the doctor determines the doctor stop is appropriate and required, the sub-referee explains diagnosis and fighter’s condition to the primary corner man.

 

Renunciation

The fighter’s corner men may stop the fight by “throwing in the towel”. In case the referee fails to see it, the judges may stop the fight.

 

 

The three judges shall judge the winner for each round. They will receive, three scorecards; one for each round, with the name of the fighter, number of the round, who is in the red corner, who is in the blue corner. He must fill out the space to the judge’s name, and, on the final of the round, fill out the space for the winner’s name, and the referee will pick up all the scorecards, after each round and give to the general referee on the table. Based on effective attack (how much damage to the opponent he inflict), aggressiveness, take down, and defense technique. Each judge decides the winner of each round rather than giving points to each fighter. After the second round, each judge must decide for the fight (must system/no draw decision).

 

 

The referee shall pronounce a caution to a fighter commits the illegal action or if he disobeys the referee’s instruction, showing him a yellow card. Third caution during the fight means the referee shows the red card, and shall disqualify the fighter.

 

First yellow card means 1 point minus, and 10% from his fight money as a fine.

 

Second yellow card means 1 more minus point and 10% more from his fight money (it means 20% in the total)

 

Red card (disqualification) means the fighter will receive no money as a fine, his purse will be confiscate be the promoter to compensate the problem caused by the fighter who gets the penalty.

 

 

When illegal action disqualifies both fighter, or the judges an/or K-1 decide to cease the fight because of an accident, or an accident happened in the first (1) round causes either or both fighter(s) unable to continue the next round, the fight shall be called No Contest. However, in the case that the accident happens during or after the second round, decision of the winner, will be according to their performance during the first round and the preceding round(s) before the accident occurred.

 

Article 9.      The following actions are illegal. A fighter who commits these illegal actions will receive a caution (yellow card) by referee and such illegal action shall be a negative factor for decision. Third caution (red card) during the fight shall disqualify the fighter. The fighter will pay 10% from his fighting fee, per caution, payable to K-1.

 

1.      Biting

2.      Eye thumbing, eye gouging and fishing hook

3.      Head butting

4.      Attacking the groin

5.      Puling hair

6.      Attacking or grabbing the throat

7.       Hitting, or to attack the back of the head from his opponent. Hitting or attacking the spine, and/or the medulla of his opponent. (The back of the head is the centerline of the head and the side of the head. The area around the ears; this area, are not considered to be back of the head).

8.      Using the elbows to attack the head, or the face of the opponent.

9.      Grabbing the ropes and refuse to release the ropes and/or hanging the limbs of the body hand(s), arm(s), leg(s) or feet, over the rope shall be given a caution immediately.

10. The fighter tries to escaping to outside the ring.

11. Throwing the opponent outside the ring.

12. Negative/ineffective attack, which does not in any way, damages the opponent or move to induce deadlock/stalemate.

13. For points position on the ground, allow the opponent to kick, the body, the legs, face or the head, of the fighter on this position, but if one of the fighters, is 10 kg or more lighter than his opponent, he can choose, if the four point position is allowed or not. The same criteria above, when there is 10 kg or more of difference, between the fighters, the lighter, choose if the stomp and jump will be allowed, when the opponent is on the ground, lying on his back.

 

Article 10. In the case that a fighter shall be damage immensely by the opponent’s illegal action, the referee and the doctor shall decide if the fight can resume after the damaged fighter recovers enough to fight. However, if the referee and doctor judge the fighter are not capable of continuing the fight, the opponent who commits illegal action shall be disqualified (and his fighting money will be retained to K-1) according to the Article 8 - * TKO – Doctor Stop.

 

Article 11. In case that the fighters are about to fall outside the ring, the referee shall call “Stop”. Both fighters have to stop any move and the referee shall direct the fighters to the center of the ring in the standing position and resume the fight.

 

Article 12. Fighters must immediately go back to the ring in the case of falling outside of the ring and resume the fight with the standing position in the center of the ring.

 

Article 13. The referee may call a break under the following condition.

 

·        When both of fighters are on standing position and the fighter is deadlocked without any effective action, or both fighters are in a locked position on the ground in the center of the ring, then he can decide to give or not, yellow card to both fighters.

·        When one fighter lies on the ground with his face up to the ceiling and the other takes a standing position and there is no action going on and the fight is deadlocked *When illegal action in Article 9(12) is committed.

 

Article 14. The fighters and the corner men shall abide any judgment or instructions made by the referee. If fighters and corner men have any objection to the judgment of the referee, the objection has to be in writing to K-1 within 2 weeks after the any manner to the referee and judge’s decision. When this article is violated, 10% of fighting fee has to be paid to K-1 as a penalty.

 

Article 15. Fighters may have up to 3 corner men who are not allowed to leave their own corner during the fight. Corner men are not allowed to have a physical contact with the fighters in any circumstances during the fight. If any of the corner men violates the term in this section, the fighter has to pay 10% of the fighting fee to K-1 as a penalty.

 

Article 16. All fighters shall be asked to take a doctor check before the fight at the venue.

 

Rules revised on 19th of November 2003.

 

By Sergio Batarelli