Wyo. Code R. 046-0001-15
Mixed Martial Arts, Board of
Chapter 15: Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting
Effective Date: 06/15/2018 to 02/13/2019
Rule Type: Superceded Rules & Regulations
Reference Number: 046.0001.15.06152018
Section 1. Definition of Bare Knuckle Fighting. Bare Knuckle Fighting combines and incorporates the following recognized martial arts: boxing, Muay Thai, Greco-Roman wrestling, karate, judo, and folkstyle and freestyle wrestling. Bare Knuckle Fighting includes skill sets such as clinching, holding, hitting, striking with a closed fist, punching, and controlling the head, neck, arms, and upper body of opponents.
Section 2. Ring and Cage Requirements. All professional Bare Knuckle Fighting bouts shall be held in a ring that complies with Chapter 9 of the Mixed Martial Arts Board rules.
(a) Each bout of professional Bare Knuckle Fighting shall be at least four (4) rounds but no more than twelve (12) rounds. Each round involving male contestants shall be no more than three minutes in length, with one-minute rest periods between rounds. Each round involving female contestants shall be no more than two minutes in length, with one-minute rest periods between rounds.
(b) A Bare Knuckle Fighting contestant shall not participate in a boxing, kickboxing, karate, or mixed martial arts bout in Wyoming for at least thirty (30) days following a previous bout in Wyoming or in any other jurisdiction.
(c) A Bare Knuckle contestant whose license is currently suspended or has been revoked by the Board or any other athletic commission, domestic or foreign, shall not participate in any bout in Wyoming until the suspension is lifted or until the license is reinstated.
(d) If a bout is deemed by the Board to be a mismatch that could expose one or both of the contestants to serious injury based on the record, experience, skill, or condition of each of the contestants, the bout shall be disapproved and cancelled by the Board.
(e) The weight of each contestant or the classification in which each contestant will compete, or both, shall be announced at ringside.
(f) Before starting a bout, the referee shall ascertain from each contestant the name of the contestant's second. Before each bout, the referee shall call together both of the contestants for final instructions.
(g) A bout may be adjudged a technical knockout to the credit of the winner if the bout is terminated because a contestant meets any of the following conditions:
(i) Is unable to continue;
(ii) Is not honestly competing;
(iii) Is injured;
(iv) Is disqualified; or
(v) Shows timidity.
(h) Each bout that is won by other than a full count of 10 or the scoring of the judges shall be adjudged a technical knockout to the credit of the winner.
(i) A referee may count a contestant out if the contestant is on the floor or being held up by the ropes.
(j) The outcome of a bout shall be determined by scoring the completed rounds and the round during which the referee stops the bout if an accidental foul renders a contestant unable to continue the bout if the foul occurs past the mid-point of the scheduled bout.:
(k) If an injury inflicted by an accidental foul later becomes aggravated by fair blows and the referee orders the bout stopped because of the injury, the outcome shall be determined by scoring the completed rounds and the round during which the referee stops the bout.
(l) At the termination of each bout, the announcer shall announce the winner and the referee shall raise the hand of the winner.
(m) Each judge of a bout shall score the bout and determine the winner through the use of the ten-point must system as follows:
(i) The better contestant of each round shall receive 10 points and the opponent proportionately less.
(ii) If the round is even, each contestant shall receive 10 points.
(iii) No fraction of a point may be given.
(iv) Points for each round shall be awarded immediately after the end of the round.
(n) After the end of the bout, the announcer shall pick up the scores of the judges. The majority opinion shall be conclusive and, if there is no majority opinion, the decision shall be a draw.
(i) When the inspector has checked the scores, the inspector shall inform the announcer of the decision, and the announcer shall inform the audience of the decision over the speaker system.
(ii) Incomplete rounds shall be scored by the judges. If the referee penalizes either contestant in an incomplete round, the appropriate points shall be deducted.
Section 4. Weight Allowances and Classifications. Bare Knuckle Fighting contestants shall be subject to the weight allowances and exceptions set forth in Chapter 6 of the Mixed Martial Arts Rules and Regulations. The following are the weight classes:
| POUNDS | CLASSIFICATION |
|---|---|
| 265+ | Super Heavyweight |
| 225–265 | Heavyweight |
| 200–225 | Cruiserweight |
| 185–200 | Light Heavyweight |
| 175–185 | Middleweight |
| 165–175 | Welterweight |
| 155–165 | Lightweight |
| 145–155 | Featherweight |
| 135–145 | Bantamweight |
| 125–135 | Flyweight |
| 115–125 | Strawweight |
| 105–115 | Atomweight |
Section 5. Illness of Contestant. If a contestant is unable due to illness to take part in a bout in which the contestant has agreed to fight, the contestant shall immediately report the fact to the Board and, if requested by the Board, shall submit to an examination by a physician. The fee for the physician’s examination shall be paid by the promoter if an examination is requested. Otherwise, the fee shall be paid by the contestant.
(a) Hands may be wrapped with gauze and athletic tape that ends no closer than 1 inch from the fighter’s knuckles. The wrap must include the wrist and may travel up to three inches past the junction of the wrist bone.
(b) Gauze may be applied to the wrist, palm of the hand, back of the hand, and thumb. The length of gauze to be utilized may not exceed a length of fifteen feet per hand.
(c) Tape may be applied to the wrist, palm of the hand, back of the hand, and thumb. The tape shall not be greater than one inch in width and shall not exceed ten feet in length per hand.
(d) Each contestant shall wear appropriate attire and protective devices, including a dental appliance or mouthpiece that has been individually fitted and approved by the Board. Each male contestant shall wear a protective cup. Each contestant shall wear an abdominal protector, which shall protect the contestant against injury from a foul blow. The abdominal protector shall not cover or extend above the umbilicus. Each female contestant shall wear a protective pelvic girdle and either a plastic breast protector or a sport bra.
(e) The belt of the shorts shall not extend above the waistline. Shorts shall be without pockets or openings and shall be subject to approval by the inspector.
(f) Contestants shall not use any cosmetic when competing.
(g) Contestant’s fingernails and thumbnails shall not extend past the tip of the fingers and thumbs.
(a) No person other than the contestants and the referee shall enter the ring during a bout. A second shall not stand or engage in any distracting actions while the bout is in progress. For each contestant’s seconds, a combined total of two warnings for violating any requirement of this subsection shall result in the removal of the seconds from the ringside area, all of whom may be subject to discipline by the Board.
(b) Before the referee requests the physician to aid or examine a contestant, the referee shall direct the timekeeper to stop the clock until otherwise directed by the referee.
(c) Any serious cuts or injuries to either contestant shall be treated by the physician. The physician shall determine whether to continue the bout as follows:
(i) The physician may enter the ring if requested by the referee to examine an injury to a contestant.
(ii) If serious cuts or injuries to either contestant occur, the referee shall summon the physician, who shall aid the contestant and decide if the bout will be stopped. The final authority to determine whether to continue the bout shall rest with the physician.
(iii) If the physician determines that a contestant who is cut or injured by legal blows cannot continue, the referee shall announce that contestant loses by a technical knockout.
(iv) The referee may request that the attending physician examine a contestant during the bout. The physician may order the referee to stop the bout and time shall be called. The referee shall then render the appropriate decision regarding the outcome of the bout in accordance with the Mixed Martial Arts rules.
(v) Except at the request of the physician, no second shall be permitted to aid a stricken contestant.
(d) If a contestant loses a dental appliance or mouthpiece during a round, the referee may call a time-out. If the referee calls a time-out for this reason, the referee shall direct the contestant's second to replace the dental appliance or mouthpiece.
(e) Before a contestant may resume competing after having been knocked down or having fallen or slipped to the floor of the ring, the referee shall wipe the hands of the contestant with a damp towel or the referee's shirt.
(a) A contestant shall be deemed to be down when either of the following occurs:
(i) Any part of the contestant's body other than the feet is on the floor and weight bearing as deemed by the referee; or
(ii) The contestant is hanging over the ropes without the ability to protect themselves, and the contestant cannot fall to the floor.
(b) When a contestant is knocked down, the referee shall order the opponent to retire to the farthest neutral corner of the ring, by pointing to the corner, and shall immediately begin the count over the contestant who is down. The referee shall audibly announce the passing of the seconds and accompany the count with motions of the referee's arm, with the downward motion indicating the end of each second.
(c) The timekeeper, by signaling, shall give the referee the correct one-second interval for the referee's count. The referee's count shall be the official count. Once the referee picks up the count from the timekeeper, the timekeeper shall cease counting. No contestant who is knocked down may be allowed to resume competing until the referee has finished counting to 10. The contestant may take the count either on the floor or standing.
(d) If the opponent fails to stay in the farthest corner, the referee shall cease counting until the contestants have returned to their corners and shall then resume the count from the point at which the count was interrupted. If the contestant who is down arises before the count of 10, the referee may step between the contestants long enough to assure the referee that the contestant who has just arisen is in a condition to continue. If so assured, the referee shall, without loss of time, order both contestants to go on with the bout. During the intervention by the referee, the striking of a blow by either contestant may be ruled a foul.
(e) When a contestant is knocked out, the referee shall perform a full 10-second count unless, in the judgment of the referee, the safety of the contestant would be jeopardized by such a count. If the contestant who is knocked down is still down when the referee calls a count of 10, the referee shall wave both arms to indicate that the downed contestant has been knocked out.
(f) If both contestants go down at the same time, the count shall continue as long as one contestant is still down. If both contestants remain down until the count of 10, the bout shall be stopped and the decision shall be a technical draw.
(g) If a contestant is down and the referee is in the process of counting at the end of a round, the bell indicating the end of a round shall not be sounded, but the bell shall be sounded as soon as the downed contestant stands up.
(h) When a contestant has been knocked down before the normal termination of a round and the round is terminated before the contestant has arisen from the floor of the ring, the referee's count shall continue. If the contestant who is down fails to arise before the count of 10, the contestant shall be considered to have lost the bout by a knockout in the round that just concluded.
(i) If a legal blow struck in the final seconds of a round causes a contestant to go down after the bell has sounded, that knockdown shall be regarded as having occurred during the round just ended and the appropriate count shall continue.
(j) If a knockdown occurs before the normal termination of a round and the contestant who is down stands up before the count of 10 is reached and then falls down immediately without being struck, the referee shall resume the count from the point at which the count was left off.
(f) Putting a finger into any orifice of the opponent or into any cut or laceration on an opponent, including fishhooking;
(g) Pulling the opponents hair;
(h) Manipulating the opponents fingers;
(i) Striking an opponent who is helpless as the result of blows but is supported by the ropes and does not fall;
(j) Butting the opponent with the head, shoulder, knee, or elbow;
(k) Hitting the opponent with the back of the hand, butt of the hand, with the wrist or the elbow, or with pivot blows or spinning back fists;
(l) Going down without being hit;
(m) Striking the opponent’s body over the kidneys;
(n) Hitting the opponent on the back of the head or neck;
(o) Gouging the opponent’s eye in any manner;
(p) Using abusive language in the ring;
(q) Hitting during a break, which is signaled by the referee’s command or physical act to separate two contestants;
(r) Hitting the opponent after the bell has sounded, ending the round;
(s) Using the ropes to gain an advantage over the opponent;
(t) Pushing the opponent around the ring or into the ropes;
(u) Timidity, including intentionally spitting out the mouthpiece;
(v) Biting the opponent; and
(w) Engaging in any other action not described in this subsection that is deemed an intentional foul by the referee on the basis that the action poses a danger to the safety of either contestant, impedes fair and competitive play, or is unsportsmanlike.
(a) If a contestant fouls the opponent during a bout or commits any other infraction, the referee may penalize the contestant by deducting points from their score, whether or not the foul or infraction was intentional. The referee may determine the number of points to be deducted in each instance and shall base the determination on the severity of the foul or infraction and its effect upon the opponent.
(i) If the referee determines that it is necessary to deduct a point or points because of a foul or infraction, the referee shall warn the offender of the penalty to be assessed.
(ii) The referee shall, as soon as is practical after the foul, notify the judges and both contestants of the number of points, if any, to be deducted from the score of the offender.
(iii) Each point to be deducted for any foul or infraction shall be deducted in the round in which the foul or infraction occurred. These points shall not be deducted from the score in any subsequent round.
(b) A contestant shall not be declared the winner of a bout on the basis of that contestant's claim that the opponent committed a foul by hitting the contestant below the belt. If a contestant falls to the floor of the ring or otherwise indicates that the contestant is unwilling to continue because of an overruled claim of a low blow, the bout shall be declared to be a technical knockout in favor of the contestant who is willing to continue.
(c) Any contestant guilty of a foul in a bout may be disqualified by the referee, and the contestant's purse may be ordered withheld by the Board. Disposition of the purse and the penalty to be imposed upon the contestant shall be determined by the Board.
(d) If the referee determines that a bout shall not continue because of an injury caused by an intentional foul, the contestant who committed the intentional foul shall lose by disqualification.
(e) If the referee determines that a bout may continue despite an injury caused by an intentional foul, the contestant who committed the intentional foul shall lose by disqualification.
(f) If an injury caused by an intentional foul results in the bout being stopped in a later round, one of the following shall apply:
(i) The injured contestant shall win by technical decision if that individual is ahead on the scorecards.
(ii) The bout shall be declared a technical draw if the injured contestant is behind or even on the scorecards.
(g) If a contestant is injured while attempting to foul their opponent, the referee shall not take any action in the contestant's favor and the injury shall be treated the same as an injury produced by a fair blow.
(h) If a bout is stopped because of an accidental foul, the referee shall determine whether the contestant who has been fouled can continue. If the contestant's chance of winning has not been seriously jeopardized as a result of a foul and if the foul did not involve a concussive impact to the head of the contestant who was fouled, the referee may order the bout to be continued after a reasonable interval. Before the bout resumes, the referee shall inform the Board of the referee's determination that the foul was accidental.
(i) If the referee determines that a bout shall not continue because of an injury suffered as a result of an accidental foul anytime prior to midpoint of the scheduled bout, the bout shall be declared a no-contest decision if the foul occurs during either of the following:
(a) A contestant shall not leave the ring or, if the bout is being held in a fenced area, the fenced area, during any period of rest that follows each round. If any contestant fails or refuses to resume competing when the bell sounds signaling the commencement of the next round, the referee shall award a decision of technical knockout to the contestant's opponent at the round that has last been finished, unless the circumstances indicate to the Board the need for investigation or punitive action, in which case the referee shall not give a decision and shall recommend that the purse or purses of either or both contestants be withheld.
(b) If a contestant has been knocked or has fallen through the ropes and over the edge of the ring platform during a bout, both of the following shall apply:
(i) The contestant may be helped back by anyone except the contestant's seconds or manager. The referee shall stop the clock, assess the contestant's condition, and resume time once the contestant is able to safely reenter the ring.
(ii) The contestant shall be given 20 seconds to return to the ring.
(c) For a contestant who has been knocked or has fallen on the ring platform outside the ropes but not over the edge of the ring platform, both of the following shall apply:
(i) The contestant shall not be helped back by anyone, including the contestant's second and manager. The referee may stop the clock and assess the situation until the contestant is able to return to the ring.
(ii) The contestant shall be given 10 seconds to regain the contestant's feet and get back into the ring.
(d) If the second or manager of a contestant who has been knocked down or has fallen helps the contestant back into the ring, this help may be cause for disqualification.
(e) If one contestant has fallen through the ropes, the other contestant shall retire to the farthest corner and stay there until ordered by the referee to continue the bout.
(f) Any contestant who deliberately wrestles or throws an opponent from the ring or who hits an opponent when the opponent is partly out of the ring and is prevented by the ropes from assuming a position of defense may be penalized.
(a) A decision rendered at the end of any bout shall not be changed by the Board, unless one of the following occurs:
(i) The Board determines that there was collusion affecting the result of the bout.
(ii) The compilation of the scorecards of the judges discloses an error showing that the decision was given to the wrong contestant.
(iii) The referee has rendered an incorrect decision as the result of an error in interpreting a provision of these regulations.