neoinarien
Yellow Belt
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- Apr 27, 2008
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Here is the complete listing of fouls for the UFC:
from www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=LearnUFC.Rules
1. Butting with the head.
2. Eye gouging of any kind.
3. Biting.
4. Hair pulling.
5. Fish hooking.
6. Groin attacks of any kind.
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent.
8. Small joint manipulation (fingers).
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head.
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow.
11. Throat strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea.
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh.
13. Grabbing the clavicle.
14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent.
15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent.
16. Stomping a grounded opponent.
17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel.
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck.
19. Throwing an opponent out of the ring or fenced area.
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent.
21. Spitting at an opponent.
22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent.
23. Holding the ropes or the fence.
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area.
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break.
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat.
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee.
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.
30. Interference by the corner.
31. Throwing in the towel during competition.
Rules for other leagues may vary but are substantively similar.
I was just looking for a full list (or near complete) because obviously the more restrictions there are, the more styles are in effect banned while others are favored. So disallowing throat strikes, etc, may hurt particular styles of CMA for instance while therefore benefitting other styles (Muay Thai).
Now, restrictions are not necessarily a bad thing. You need restrictions to prevent a senseless bloodbath. However, this does not mean that the same restrictions don't bias/rig/alter the rules of the game and therefore change the very nature of the game itself and how it's played.
It's my postulation that the rules of UFC and other MMA in conjunction with other relevant factors in UFC bias the styles used away styles that rely heavily/employ-more-frequently (grabbing the clavicle, small joint manipulation, throat attacks, etc) and styles that require a higher level of technical sophistication.
In short, most UFC fighters these days grew up doing a particular art/practice... boxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu, etc, and others came to martial arts very late (late teens) and are seeking a competitive professional outlet. Sharing a common goal to compete in MMA, they suddenly need to either learn a full skill set or balance their existing skill set (a striker needing grappling, a grappler needing striking, etc). Most of the time, they don't have time (you need to start your career, generally, before your early to mid-20s... latest, late 20s) to spend 8-12 years (or much longer) to thoroughly study an art to gain a sufficient level of mastery in it. So, with a high skill set needed but not enough time to develop it: something has got to give.
The result: a biasing of the martial arts seen most often in MMA/UFC. The arts one sees (Muay Thai, kick boxing, boxing, ju jitsu, etc) most commonly used are therefore typically the ones that require the least amount of technical sophistication, thus making them the easier to learn, while simultaneously providing the most damage for time invested all within the UFC/MMA closed universe of fighting (see: rules). In short, fighters gravitate/rush to the systems that provide the biggest bang (damage) for the buck (least time to learn) within the MMA rules.
Naturally this phenomenon biases the styles one sees to the those that provide the most damage for least time invest and that coexist with and within the MMA rules/restrictions.
Now, is this meant to detract from the lethality of Brazilian JJ? Not at all! Is this meant to insult Muay Thai? Not in the least! Am I implying that kick boxing is weak and only applicable in MMA? Hardly!
However, are they being helped and given extra exposure by a confluence of events, situations, and rules that almost preclude other styles while placing their own at an advantage? Absolutely (again, this is not to cast dispersions, merely an observation).
Hence, when I hear someone say, "Hey man, Karate (or CMA, TKD, etc) suck! If they were any good, why don't you see more people (or any at all) use them in MMA?" I usually just nod and move on without bothering to answer.
But I wanted to share my thoughts and hopefully elicit feedback.
Note: I just want to reaffirm once more that NONE of the above is meant as an insult to the practitioners or arts of any of the above. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Muay thai, BJJ, etc. I am merely trying to take a detached rational approach and weigh in on a tricky and perhaps controversial issue.
Note 2: Thank you to D Dempsey for posting the rules on another thread.