The ABC and MMA's New Rules

In Dana white's ongoing struggle for acceptance by the ABC (American Boxing Commission) the first question that usually rears its head is  Why does Dana need them?  There are a few good reasons here, or at least we all hope so.

First, MMA is becoming mainstream and Dana White and every true fan wants to distance the current state of the UFC and MMA, which includes sengoku, DREAM, and Strikeforce whether or not the UFC will recognize them as legitimate, from the past bloodsport of the early days and the Kimbo Slice nonsense of the current day. He wants it to be seen as a true sport where even people like Stuart Scott on Sportscenter will talk about it. To do this he realizes he must earn legitimacy. I believe this is a main driving force for him.

Next, MMA needs to have the same rules all over the world. One reason some PRIDE fighters have enjoyed little success in the US is because of a lack of knees on the ground, soccer kicks, and stomps. Also, elbows are foreign to them. This is where big John comes in. He has spoken about allowing knees and kicks to  a downed opponent, but disallowing stomps. This is certainly a big step forward. Also, he has passed rules defining back of the head blows, allowing downward elbow point strikes, and broadening the array of weight divisions. On top of that it has been proposed that all referees and judges are schooled in an academy-like ABC run school. Head Instructor? None other the Big John himself. The new rules seem like they will be accepted with open arms, but the weight classes are under speculation. Big John proposed weight classes beginning at 105 and increasing 10 pounds up through heavyweight. This seems excessive and its hard to see that being instated any time soon. However, this may influence the UFC or DREAM to accept a featherweight or bantamweight division.

Lastly, Dana White is a former boxing agent and promoter. This may be his big chance to stick to all of his haters in the boxing community. This may not be the best reason, but it wouldn't be unlike Dana F'n White to do it.

So whether or not any of these rules are accepted its a step in the right direction for MMA to have some fair and balanced rules and weight divisions. Lets hope for the best in the future!