Lo, after many days of silent contemplation atop Mount Kumite, communing with the MMA gods in search of enlightenment, the True Way was revealed to me and upon this carven slab of purest blog I convey unto you the Ten Commandments of Kumite*…
Thou Shalt Conform To And Support The Unified Rules of MMA
Simply put, the Unified rules are the most widely used, understood and mainstream friendly ruleset used for MMA and if the sport is to continue to grow, we need to present a united front in terms of ruleset.
Thou Shalt Hold Fighter Safety To Be Paramount
Nobody wants to see a fighter’s harmed in the long term as a result of MMA. While bloodshed, knockouts and broken bones are a logical, indeed necessary part of combat sports, we need to provide for fighter safety as much as possible.
Screening for concussions, blood diseases and drug abuse, knowledge of and adherence to rules regarding illegal strikes, quality medical care and attempts to discourage extreme or rapid weight cutting are all desirable.
Thou Shalt Not Use Drugs
Performance enhancing drugs should have a zero tolerance policy and far more stringent testing procedures. Transgressors should be banned from the sport for at least a year and have any titles stripped from them.
Furthermore, we believe that therapeutic use exemptions for TRT should not be given by any credible promotion or governing body.
We also believe that any recreational drugs should also be banned, although not punished as severely – this is more to do with appealing to the prevailing legalities, mainstream public perception and the concept of MMA as a positive life influence than any endorsement of the policy of drugs prohibition.
Thou Shalt Represent the Sport Well In Word & Deed
Of course, as a contact sport and an entertainment business dependent on selling compelling rivalries, MMA will always be a place where controversial characters and trash talk are prevalent.
However, there is a line between trash talk in all it’s many guises and causing genuine offence via threats, violence or behaviour which can bring the sport into disrepute, in the cage or without.
We are each and every one of us, promoters, fighters, journalists, bloggers and fans stakeholders in the future of this sport. Act like it.
Thou Shalt Support Good Officiating
Referees and judges can influence the outcome of a fight but should not do so actively, instead making the correct calls based on the action in front of them.
Referees who make good calls should be commended and those who regularly make bad calls should be censured, perhaps receiving less high profile assignments and being required to undergo further training.
Judges who score consistently well should be rewarded with assignments to the most important matches while those who consistently score in erratic and incomprehensible ways should be dropped down the pecking order, or even blacklisted, pending training.
That said, officials are an important part of the MMA landscape and deserve your respect and support. Criticism has it’s place, hate campaigns do not.
Thou Shalt Conduct Thy Business With Integrity
MMA is a business and a convoluted, often shady one at that. we believe that honest business practise is best for the sport and as such should be conducted in good faith and with honesty.
Stories of anyone in the industry reneging on agreements or trying to change conditions harms the whole sport. Don’t do it.
Thou Shalt Only Book Or Accept Competitive Matches
Squash matches are for pro wrestling. A padded record isn’t worth spit and promotions who book lopsided matches only make themselves look small time.
Similarly, title shots and similar opportunities should be given to the most competitively deserving fighter, not the one who is a promotional golden boy or who’s manager bought you a drink last night.
Thou Shalt Educate Yourself & Others About The Sport
MMA is complex sport, fast paced and composed of multiple disciplines. Educate yourself about the different aspects of the sport, the rules, the intricacies of the ground game etc.
Furthermore, educate others about what you’ve learned because greater understanding of MMA will only increase it’s success.
For those in the UK, we recommend you attend one of Marc Goddard’s seminars for an excellent education on finer aspects of the sport.
Thou Shalt Support Your Local Scene
Just watching the UFC is not being an MMA fan, anymore than watching the Olympics alone makes you an athletics fan.
Everywhere in the world has local shows to attend, from the mid-sized promotions like Cage Warriors and Superior Challenge to truly local efforts. Go to amateur MMA shows, they tend to produce great action and an even better atmosphere.
Go to your local gym and train. It doesn’t have to be MMA, you can train jiujitsu, muay thai or even just strength & conditioning. It’s good for you and puts a little more money in the pocket of the gyms which are the grass roots of the sport.
Thou Shalt Never EVER Refer To MMA as ‘Cage Fighting’
It just doesn’t help. The cage is a piece of safety equiptment, that is all.
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* We put this together so we don’t always need to restate our beliefs on these salient issues regarding MMA. We think it’s a good set of guidelines.
KUMITE 