ABC introduces three new rules for MMA, here is what they are

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) on Saturday approved three amendments to the unified rules of MMA.

The ABC holds its annual conference in various locations across America, attracting heads and representatives from commissioning bodies nationwide and beyond. This year's conference was held in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Combat sports regulatory lawyer Erik Magraken recently provided insights on Twitter regarding the newly included unified rules of MMA. These rules are widely used in various jurisdictions.

Rule No.1 addresses the five-minute recovery time for a fighter cut by a foul. The rule clarification now allows a cut man to enter the cage and tend to the wound during this period, offering better support to the injured fighter.

Rule No.2 concerns referee positioning after a foul. Referees now have the discretion to position fighters appropriately after a foul to ensure neither gains an unfair advantage nor suffers a disadvantage from the incident.

Rule No.3 focuses on cooperation between ringside doctors and referees after an eye poke or any other foul. The clarification emphasizes that doctors should not ask fighters immediately if they can see after an eye poke since vision often returns with a bit of time to recover. This ensures that fighters are given the appropriate five-minute break to recover from an eye poke incident.

Check out Magraken's video below:

These rule clarifications aim to enhance safety, fairness, and proper handling of fouls in MMA matches.

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Fans react to ABC's amendments to unified rules of MMA

The ABC's changes to the unified rules of MMA elicited a wide range of reactions from combat sports fans.

One fan wrote:

"Why aren't fighters allowed to use water and a towel or a wet towel after an eye poke to clean out any dirt/sweat/grease that got in it?"

Another wrote:

"We want grounded knees goddammit!"

Check out some more reactions below:

"The rule to allow cut persons into the cage for cuts incurred by fouls is so important. I’ve heard @JohnMcCarthyMMA talk about this for awhile, I’m glad the commission/s finally listened on this subject."

"W with the new rules right?"

"They should ban stomps to the knee…career threatening."

"Wow, a sport making rules that make sense. What a breath of fresh air tbh lol."

"An eye poke should be an automatic point deduction and confirmed by replay."

Credits: @erikmagraken on Twitter