The integrity of the Unified Rules of MMA will be compromised at the start of the new year.
A number of state athletic commissions will not adopt changes to the rules voted on over the summer by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC), MMA Fighting has learned. Some other commissions will vote on the new rules, but not until after the scheduled enactment date of Jan. 1, and there is no guarantee they will be passed.
The result is a first in the short history of mixed martial arts: the potential for different jurisdictions having different in-cage rules.