1. A. The following acts are prohibited:

   1. (1) Head butts;
   2. (2) Groin strikes;
   3. (3) Thumbing or eye gouging;
   4. (4) Biting;
   5. (5) Spiting at the opponent;
   6. (6) Hair pulling;
   7. (7) Attacks to the throat;
   8. (8) Striking your opponent while grounded;
   9. (9) Strikes directed to the back of the head or the spine;
   10. (10) Tripping or sweeping an opponent;
   11. (11) Hip, shoulder, or leg throws;
   12. (12) Grasping the opponent’s lower back while also forcing an opponent's spine to hyperextend;
   13. (13) Intentionally falling on a downed opponent, pressing elbow or knee upon the opponent;
   14. (14) Wrestling, back or arm locks or any similar judo or wrestling hold;
   15. (15) Attempting to pile-drive an opponent's head into the canvas;
   16. (16) Catching an opponent's kick and pushing an opponent for more than one step in any direction without attempting to deliver an attacking technique;
   17. (17) If a fighter’s leg is caught while kicking, the opponent may not intentionally ground themselves;
   18. (18) Striking a downed fighter or fighter entangled in the ropes;
   19. (19) Failure to obey the referee’s commands;
   20. (20) Striking on a break;
   21. (21) Striking after a bell;
   22. (22) Holding the ropes/cage or using the ropes/cage while striking or clinching;
   23. (23) Holding the opponent’s shorts;
   24. (24) Timidity or causing intentional delays in the action;
   25. (25) Unsportsmanlike behavior including use of abusive language and/or gestures; and
   26. (26) Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee.

2. B. Time Considerations for Fouls.

   1. (1) Low Blow.

      1. (a) A fighter who has been struck with a low blow as called by the referee, is allowed up to 5 minutes to recover from the foul, as long as, in the ringside physician’s opinion, the fighter may possibly continue on in the contest.
      2. (b) If the fighter states that they can continue before the 5 minutes of time have expired, the referee shall restart the fight as soon as practical.
      3. (c) If the fighter goes over the 5 minutes time allotment, the fight cannot be restarted and the contest must come to an end with the outcome determined by how the low blow occurred the round, and time in which the fight was stopped.

   2. (2) Eye Poke.

      1. (a) A fighter, who has received an eye poke as called by the referee, is allowed up to 5 minutes to recover from the foul as long as the ringside physician confirms the fighter may possibly continue in the contest once recovered.
      2. (b) If the fighter states that they can see and wishes to continue before the 5 minutes of time have expired, and confirmed by the ringside physician, the referee shall restart the fight as soon as practical.
      3. (c) If the fighter goes over the 5 minutes time allotment, the fight cannot be restarted and the contest must come to an end with the outcome determined by how the eye poke occurred, the round, and time in which the fight was stopped.

3. C. Intentional Fouls.

   1. (1) If an intentional foul causes an injury, and the injury is severe enough to terminate the bout immediately, the fighter causing the injury shall lose by disqualification.
   2. (2) If an intentional foul causes an injury and the bout is allowed to continue, the referee shall notify the authorities and deduct two points from the fighter who caused the foul. Point deductions for intentional fouls will be mandatory.

   3. (3) If an injury caused by an intentional foul results in the contest being stopped in any round after half of the scheduled rounds have been completed, by either another legal or illegal strike, the judges will score the incomplete round and:

      1. (a) If the injured fighter is ahead on the scorecards, he shall be declared the winner by a Technical Decision; or
      2. (b) If the injured fighter is behind or even on the scorecards, the contest shall be declared a Technical Draw.
   4. (4) If a fighter injures themselves while attempting to intentionally foul their opponent, but is able to continue fighting, the referee shall take no action and treat the injury as if produced by a fair blow. If the referee determined the fighter who injured themselves is unable to continue, that fighter will lose by Technical Knockout/Knockout.

4. D. Accidental Fouls.

   1. (1) If an accidental foul causes an injury severe enough for the referee to terminate the bout immediately, the bout will result in either a No Contest or Disqualification if stopped before:

      1. (a) A completed 2 rounds of a scheduled 3 round bout; or
      2. (b) A completed 3 rounds of a scheduled 5 round bout.

   2. (2) If an accidental foul causes an injury severe enough for the referee to terminate the bout, the bout will result in a Technical Decision awarded to the fighter who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped immediately, after:

      1. (a) A completed 2 rounds of a scheduled 3 round bout; or
      2. (b) A completed 3 rounds of a scheduled 5 round bout.

   3. (3) If a fighter, during the course of a round, visibly loses control of bodily function (vomit, urine, feces), the fight shall be stopped by the referee and the fighter shall lose the contest by a Technical Knockout (TKO) due to Medical Stoppage.

      1. (a) In the event a loss of bodily function occurs in the rest period between rounds, the ringside physician shall be called in to evaluate if the fighter can continue. If the fighter is not cleared by the ringside physician to continue, that fighter shall lose by a Technical Knockout (TKO) due to Medical Stoppage
      2. (b) If fecal matter becomes apparent at any time, the contest shall be halted by the referee, and the offending fighter shall lose by a Technical Knockout (TKO) due to Medical Stoppage.

Authority: Business Regulations Article, §§4-205, 4-301, and 4-303, Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: September 29, 2025 (52:19 Md. R. 956)