The Nevada State Athletic Commission will vote on a few rule changes when it meets on Aug. 19 for a Regulation Hearing.
The most important rule proposal is the acceptance of instant replay for mixed martial arts on a limited basis. It would be exclusively used to allow the referee of any given fight to determine if an illegal strike ended the match (Mirko Cro Cop vs. Mostapha al-Turk and Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns are notable examples).
Here’s the official language, courtesy of MMA Junkie:
Sec. 7. NAC 467.682 is hereby amended to read as follows:
A referee may view a replay, if available, at the conclusion of a contest or exhibition stopped immediately due to an injury to an unarmed combatant pursuant to NAC 467.718 in order to determine whether the injury in question was caused by a legal blow or a foul.
(a) If the determination is made that the injury was the result of a legal blow, the injured unarmed combatant shall be determined to have lost the contest via technical knockout.
(b) If the determination is made that the injury was the result of a foul, it must be determined whether the foul was intentional or accidental.
(1) If deemed intentional, the outcome of the contest shall be determined in accord with NAC 467.698; or
(2) If deemed accidental, the outcome of the contest shall be determined in accord with NAC 467.702 or 467.7966.
The installation of instant replay for these instances is long overdue, and I’m glad the Nevada State Athletic is tackling the issue. Too many recent fights have ended with eye pokes.
