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A major UFC rule is allegedly going to change later this year, as per what Laura Sanko said during the live broadcast of Saturday's Fight Night. Elsewhere, Jake Paul defeated Mike Perry and called out Alex Pereira.
Sportskeeda MMA is back with the day's top combat sports highlights.
UFC to change the rule on 'grounded opponent'
The current UFC rule set defines a 'grounded fighter' as anyone with any part of their body (excluding feet) touching the canvas. When in such a position, an opponent cannot use knees on the fighter without risking getting disqualified or at least the fight being called a 'No Contest'. This scenario has resulted in several controversial stoppages over the years, including the unforgettable title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan.
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However, it seems like the rule is going to change. Per recent reports, the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combat Sports (ABC) will vote on potentially altering the rule on July 24. They will also decide on the infamous '12-6 elbows' rule that led to the only loss on Jon Jones' resume.
Laura Sanko seemed confident about the 'grounded fighter' rule being charged with effect from October 1, or so she said during the live telecast of UFC Vegas 94 on Saturday night.
She further clarified her statement on X:
"When your hands are down you will no longer be considered grounded. You must [have] something other than hands down to be grounded (knee, shin, butt)."
Alex Pereira reacts to Jake Paul's callout
Jake Paul went for an ambitious callout after defeating Mike Perry via TKO in the sixth round. He took to the microphone and challenged Alex Pereira to get out of his UFC contract and fight him in the boxing ring.
He reiterated the same during the press conference later on. Pereira, who did in fact have an online exchange with Anthony Joshua regarding his boxing debut, gave a brief response to the callout.
Read the fan reactions to the callout here.
Conor McGregor 'fires' Mike Perry from BKFC
Wherever Conor McGregor steps in, he seems to be trying to take over. In a recent rant on X, the Irishman attempted to fire Mike Perry from BKFC owing to his new partnership.
Perry had carried and represented BKFC for years now but seemingly a boxing loss to Jake Paul was enough to incite the fury of the new co-owner.
"Hey Mike you're released and you can go and compete in your smelly dirty boxing championship thing, the smell of it, good luck. You're fired."
After Perry dismissed McGregor's comments during the press conference, the UFC star tweeted back with newfound vigor:
"Michael you are not any owner of the BKFC. Not an iota... you hold nothing in bare-knuckle. Not an iota. And trust me, you're out bro. With no feelings."
He also went into an argument with fellow UFC fighter Terrance McKinney and claimed that Perry made "no payday" fighting Paul and BKFC pays way more. McGregor has since deleted the tweets.
