Article 1 Participating fighters are not categorized on the basis of body weight.
Article 2 Fighters should wear open-finger-gloves that were provided by sponsors.
Article 3 Fighters are allowed to wear wresting singlet, kneecaps, elbow pads, shin guards, sticking plasters, or ankle supporters. The guards and pads mentioned above must be checked by referee. Fighters must wear mouthpiece and foul cups. Fighters must not use sticking plasters and bandages over fists. Fighters who use sticking plasters must be checked by referee before starting the match.
Article 4 Fighters must not apply anything on the surface of the body (oil, Vaseline, pain reliever, massage cream, hair-dressing, etc.).
Article 5 Fighters are prohibited from any types of kicks when they wear shoes during the match.
Article 6 A ring should be a seven-meter square, which is approved by the sponsors.
Article 7 Duration of a match is 15 minutes, scoring one positive point. In the case of a draw or neither side is decided to be win by judge after fifteen minutes, the match goes into another fifteen minutes. The extra rounds will be continued until either side wins. The interval between the rounds is two minutes.
Article 8 Victory or defeat is decided by the following conditions;
8.1. Ippon
Intention of giving up or losing one’s fighting spirit is expressed orally or tapping opponent or the mat three times or more.
8.2. Technical Knockout
8.2.a. Referee stop
In case that the referee sees that one side completely dominates another, and that the inferior side may fall in danger.
8.2.b. Doctor stop
In case that one side gets injured by fair blows of the opponent and cannot continue the match, his opponent will be declared winner. It is the ring doctor who will be the one to decide whether the fighter can continue or not. In case that the injury was made by illegal actions, the one who commits these actions will be declared loser.
8.2.c. Forfeited match
In case that second of either side throws a towel in the ring during the round. If the referee does not notice this, it is the judges who stop the match.
8.3. Decision
Decision is made by three judges. Decision is made according to the damage given to the opponent, combination & ground control, down-taking & defense, aggressiveness and weight (in case that the weight difference is 10kg or more). (Match may end in a draw.)
8.4. Disqualification
A “warning” may be given when a fighter commits an illegal action or does not follow referee’s instruction. Three warnings make fighter disqualified.
8.5. No contest (Invalid match)
In case that the both sides commit violation of the rules, or that the judges and sponsors decide that the match cannot be continued due to contingent matters.
Article 9 Following act is regarded as illegal action. When fighter commits any of these illegal actions, he will be given a “warning” from referee. Warning will be considered negative points at making decision of the match. Three warnings make a fighter disqualified. Furthermore, the fighter who commits an illegal action must be imposed ten percent of the fight money per a warning as a penalty to the promoter.
9.1. Biting
9.2. Throwing something into the eyes
9.3. Butt
9.4. Attacking the groin
9.5. Grasping hair
9.6. Hard blows to occipital region of head, medulla oblongata, and spinal cord. (Occipital region of head indicates the back of head, and that does not indicate the side of head or around ears.)
9.7. Elbow blow to head and face.
9.8. To hold the rope and to stay holding it purposely. Fighters must not hang an arm or a leg on the rope purposely. Hanging an upper arm is an immediate caused of warning.
9.9. Escaping out of the ring.
9.10. Throwing the opponent out of the ring.
9.11. Kicking or knee kicking to the head or the face of the opponent who falls on his face. (Fighters are prohibited from blowing against the face and the head when four or more positions of the following places touch the mat; both hands, both legs, both elbows, or both knees.)
Article 10 In case that a fighter gets severe damage by illegal actions, the round resumes after enough time of break for the sufferer to recover at the discretion of referee and ring doctor. When ring doctor decides the match cannot be continued based on the conditions stipulated in the article 8-2, the fighter who commits the illegal actions will be declared disqualification.
Article 11 In case that both fighters are about to fall from the ring, the referee calls out “Stop. Don’t move.†The fighters must immediately stop their movements and must be pulled back to the center of the ring as they were in the movement. They resume the fight at the referee’s call.
Article 12 In case that either fighter goes out of the ring, he must immediately return to the ring, and resume the round in the standing position at the center of the ring.
Article 13 In case that a fighting is stopped in the standing position, or that one fighter is in the ground position (lies on the back) and the other is in the standing position and be at a deadlock, referee may calls out the break at his discretion.
Article 14 Fighters and seconds are demanded absolute obedience to referee’s decision and instructions
Article 15 Fighters may be accompanied by up to three seconds. The seconds must stay at their corner during the match. They must not directly touch fighters during the match. In case that any of them violates any of these rules, they must be imposed ten percent of the fight money per a warning as a penalty to the promoter.
Article 16 Fighters must see the doctor before the match on the day at the venue.
Special Rules
Special rules of the final at PRIDE GP2000
Ã…E Duration of a round for second qualifying and semi-final is fifteen minutes, and extra rounds will be continued until either side wins.
Ã…E Duration of a round for the final is twenty minutes, and extra rounds will be continued until either side wins.
- As for the match that Royce Gracie fights, decisions by judges are not considered as Gracie side requested. As for the other matches, results are decided by decision at every round as they were already done as in the opening matches.
- As for the match that Royce Gracie fights, only when a fighter who taps or whose second throws a towel in the ring is declared loser, and referee stop and doctor stop are not considered.
- At the final, the decision by judges is not earned even if Royce Gracie does not appear. In case of the final without Royce Gracie, referee stop and doctor stop are considered.
- As for the matches without Royce Gracie, in case that a fighting is stopped in the ground position and be at a deadlock, referee may calls out the break at his discretion, only on condition that the weight difference is 10kg or more.
Except for article 9.7 which I do disagree with is there anything here that is legal in SanShou/ Koushu or kickboxing
I’m sure this is another safety rule to protect the fighters. Not to limit the strikers.