Paragraph 1.
General Regulations.
1.1. Present Regulations are applied for the JSC “Tatneft” professional Tournament competition and shall be named “TNA” Universal Fighting Rules” (hereinafter known as “Rules”).
1.2. According to present Rules the participants of the tournament hereinafter known as “Fighters”.
1.3. The Tournament is held for male fighters only.
1.4. The participants bear responsibility for risks of traumas and severe injuries caused during Tournament participation. Tournament organizers, judges are not responsible for body injuries or accidents that can occur due to the Tournament participation.
1.5. Any case (situation) that is not considered in present Rules but can possibly happen during the contest shall be examined by the panel of judges and the decision shall be carried out by the superior judge of the Tournament.
1.6. Unified Rules Enclosure confirmed by the Organizer is an important part of present Rules.
1.7. The Tournament shall be held during a year with an obligatory conclusion of contract between a Fighter and the Organizer.
1.8. Tournament competitions shall be held in a form of individual championship with the mandatory drop out of the defeated fighter in every round.
1.9. Total number of the participants – 48 (forty eight) athletes in three weight categories.
1.10. Competitions are held in a form of a combat.
Paragraph 2.
Tournament Participants.
2.1. The fighters should be 21 years old and older.
2.2. Tournament organizers, superior judge, referee and a fight doctor can allow the admission of an 18 year old competitor in cases when the Fighter’s party provides enough evidence of his technical level according to paragraph 1.5.
2.3. The Tournament introduces 3 weight categories:
- up to 70 (seventy) kilograms;
- up to 80 (eighty) kilograms;
- over 80 (eighty) kilograms.
2.4. Fighters are admitted to the Tournament participation after they registered for the competition, concluded an agreement with the Organizer and completed specialized medical examination.
2.5. In case of other disputable issues over a Fighter’s admission the decision shall be made upon paragraph 1.5.
2.6. Final weigh-in of Fighters is held 24 hours prior to the scheduled bout.
2.7. All Fighters and their representatives, fight doctors and judges must be present at the weigh-in procedure. Weigh-in report is confirmed by the superior judge of the competitions, the Doctor of the Tournament and the Secretary of the Tournament.
2.8. Fighters’ matchups for 1/8 and 1/8 final are held in their absence for every round based upon the received applications. Matchups for semi- final are held in the presence of Fighters.
Paragraph 3.
Fighters’ Duties and Rights.
3.1. The Fighter is obliged to:
3.1.1 be aware of and strictly follow present Rules;
3.1.2. strongly keep up with Tournament regulations;
3.1.3. be respectful and tactful towards all the participants, judges and Tournament organizers;
3.1.4. wear pieces of individual protective equipment asserted by present Rules.
3.2. The Fighter has the right to:
3.2.1. appeal to the panel of judges through his representative or in person only before and after the fight.
3.2.2. tap out (raise up his hand) in the following cases:
- indicating that he no longer wishes to continue the fight;
- in case of extraordinary situations on the ring.
Paragraph 4.
Fighters’ clothing and individual protective equipment.
4.1. In the beginning of the Tournament a Fighter has the right to wear his fighting style clothes, training suit or training robe.
4.2. Clothes pieces used by a Fighter shall be clean and neat-looking.
4.3. During the competition each contestant shall be bare-chested and wear boxing shorts; no shoes are allowed.
4.4. Groin protector is mandatory during the fight; it is put under the boxing shorts.
4.5. Wearing groin cup is an obligation.
4.6. Shin support bandage is allowed with no doctor recommendation.
4.7. Boxing hand wraps and bandages are mandatory.
4.8. During the competition each contestant is obliged to wear boxing gloves:
4.8.1 of the approved standards, provided by the Organizer.
4.8.2. the weight of boxing gloves depends on a Fighter’s weight category and meets the following standards:
- up to 70 kg – 8 ounces
- up to 80 kg – 10 ounces
- over 80 kg – 10 ounces.
4.9. Any other types of individual protection equipment are forbidden.
4.10. Pieces of individual protection equipment that are allowed to use during the Tournament shall be inspected and approved by the Superior judge of the tournament and the fight doctor.
Paragraph 5.
Panel of judges.
5.1. The Organizer shall assign the Superior judge of the Tournament for the whole duration of the Tournament.
5.2. The board of judges is assigned by the Organizer, according to the proposal of the Superior judge.
5.3. The judgment of the tournament shall be done by:
а) ring referee;
b) three ringside judges;
c) timekeeper;
d) secretary;
e) fight doctor;
5.4. Superior judge fulfils general control of the tournament, the elaboration of the final decision (the determination of the winner of a round), accepts appeals and protests.
Paragraph 6.
Tournament rules.
6.1. The tournament takes place on a 7,2 X 7,2 m boxing ring surrounded by 4 parallel rows of ropes and set on a raised platform.
6.2. Tournament duration.
6.2.1. Selective fights – three 3-minute rounds with two 1-minute rest period in-between rounds. If all 3 rounds end in a draw an extra 3-minute round is usually added to define the ultimate winner.
6.2.2. Final fights – five 3-minute rounds with four 1-minute rest period in-between rounds. If all 5 rounds end in a draw an extra 3-minute round is usually added to define the ultimate winner.
6.3. Technical actions and fouls evaluation.
6.3.1. The ringside judges evaluate Fighters’ actions.
6.3.2. The ring referee shall control technical actions of fighters, do knockout and knockdown countdown, assess cautions and warnings to the Fighters and the timekeepers, bear responsibility to start and stop the bout, disqualify the fighters, call out judges’ decisions, examines boxing gloves, presence of individual protective equipment and vaseline coating on facial area before the tournament.
6.3.3. Technical actions of Fighters’ are evaluated in the following forms:
a) KNOCKOUT – when a fighter cannot continue the fight within 10 seconds or his refusal to continue the competition even if he is capable of doing it as a result of his opponents’ legal technical actions.
b) KNOCKDOWN - fighter’s disability to continue the tournament within 10 seconds as a result of his opponents’ legal techniques.
c) TECHNICAL KNOCKOUT - failure to continue the fight by one of the opponents due to the following reasons:
1. if an accidental injury sustained during competition is not caused by the fighters and is severe enough to terminate the bout .
2. if the timekeeper throws in the towel during the match to stop the bout.
3. if three knockdowns occur to the same Fighter in one round.
4. if one of the Fighters becomes dominant to the point when his opponent have significant injuries and cannot continue the fight, the referee can stop the bout.
5. if the fight doctors decide to stop the bout.
d) ADVANTAGE – The evaluation of technical actions of Fighters is controlled during the whole time of the fight (including the extra round) and affects the detection of the ultimate winner only in cases with no knockouts, knockdowns, technical knockouts and disqualification. The advantage shall not affect the determination of the ultimate winner in the main rounds. The evaluation of the advantage has certain criteria:
1. tactical and technical advantage – evaluated by the judges individually;
2. the damage caused to the opponent allowed by legal technical actions – evaluated by the judges individually;
3. general impression – evaluated by the judges individually;
4. quantity of cautions;
5. quantity of warnings;
e) DISQUALIFICATION shall be made when technical actions of a Fighter are defined as losing due to fouls and present Rules violation by him or his timekeepers.
f) DRAW – the evaluation of technical actions of Fighters is only carried out for the main rounds in cases with no KNOCKOUTS, KNOCKDOWNS, TECHNICAL KNOCKOUTS and DISQUALIFICATION, the ADVANTAGE evaluation is fixed in the report.
6.4. The victory criteria:
6.4.1. Clean victory – KNOCKOUT of the opponent;
6.4.2. Three KNOCKDOWNS in one round;
6.4.3. Victory upon the judges’ decision:
a) technical knockout of the opponent;
b) Quantity of the spent knockdowns more than at the opponent;
c) disqualification of a Fighter.
6.4.4. The additional round with the determination of the ultimate winner is held in cases when it is impossible to define the winner after the main rounds:
a) if it is impossible to define the winner in additional round upon the KNOCKOUTS, KNOCKDOWNS, TECHNICAL KNOCKOUTS and DISQUALIFICATION criteria, the ADVANTAGE of Fighters during the whole fight shall be evaluated;
b) the ADVANTAGE evaluation in additional round is more significant than the results of the main round.
Paragraph 7.
Cautions and Warnings.
7.1. A CAUTION shall be made due to the following reasons:
7.1.1. Accidental foul or accidental usage of FORBIDDEN FIGHTING TECHNIQUES with no case of significant injuries of the opponent.
7.1.2. Being late for the tournament.
7.1.3. Disrespectful attitude expressed verbally or physically towards the opponent, the judges and the Organizers.
7.1.4. Passive defense.
7.1.5. The third caution made in one round shall be equaled to a WARNING, with warnings only followed afterwards.
7.2. A WARNING shall be issued in the following cases:
7.2.1. Purposely used FORBIDDEN FIGHTING TECHNIQUES with no case of any significant damage to the opponent.
7.2.2. Purposely used forbidden fighting techniques which lead to the interference of a fight.
7.2.3. Attacking an opponent when he is on the ground.
7.2.4. Attacking the opponent in rising position.
7.2.5. Attacking an opponent from the down position.
7.2.6. Attacking an opponent while the referee interferes to split the fighters.
7.2.7. Grabbing the ropes for the technical actions.
7.2.8. Attempting to strike an opponent after referee calls “break”.
7.2.9. Usage of disapproved pieces of individual protection.
7.2.10. Any intentional attempt to stop the bout with no particular reason.
7.2.11. Two WARNINGS received in one round lead to DISQUALIFICATION.
Paragraph 8.
Disqualification.
8.1. Disqualification decision shall be made in the following cases:
8.1.1. Two warnings during one round.
8.1.2. Purposely used ILLEGAL FIGHITING TECHNIQUES that led to significant injuries and damage of the opponent.
8.1.3. Purposeful ignorance of actions of the referee and the judges.
8.1.4. If the referee decides that the fighter has no longer wish to continue the Tournament.
8.1.5. If the timekeeper walks out on the ring or touches any of the contestants during the Tournament.
8.1.6. In case of severe violations of any rules the fighter shall be disqualified by the decision of the referee or the superior judge.
Paragraph 9.
Forbidden fighting techniques.
9.1. Groin attacks of any kind.
9.2. Headbutts.
9.3. Intentional punches of any kind on the spine, the back of the head along the spine.
9.4. Elbow strikes on the head.
9.5. Head punches with an opened glove.
9.6. Knee joints attack (except for low-kick).
9.7. Intentional striking of the opponent while he is turned backwards.
9.8. Throwing.
9.9. Shoving or grappling.
9.10. Wrestling techniques of any kind.
9.11. Pushing.
9.12. Strangling
9.13. Biting.
9.14. Attacking with the head down.
Paragraph 10.
Legal fighting techniques.
10.1. Any contact with the opponent shall be made only by accentuated hand and leg strikes.
10.2. Hand and leg strikes on the head that are not forbidden in paragraph 10.
10.3. Hand and leg strikes on the body that are not forbidden in paragraph 10.
10.4. Hand and leg striking in the hip area.
10.5. Striking the shin area.
10.6. Hand and leg striking accomplished with the elements of hopping techniques which are not forbidden in paragraph 10.
10.7. Roundhouse leg kicks and hand punches which are not forbidden in paragraph 10.
10.8. Kicking and rolling maneuvers which are not forbidden in paragraph 10.
Paragraph 11.
The termination or the continuation of fight in case of trauma.
11.1. If an injury sustained by a Fighter during competition is a result of a foul of his opponent, the referee shall stop the bout and give an injured Fighter a 5-minute recovery period with the time stopping. In case when the Fighter can no longer continue the competition and the fight doctor confirms it, the judges make their final decision according to paragraph 6.3.3 (c, d).
11.2. Decision to continue or to stop the bout due to the injury shall be made by the Fighter and his timekeeper, except for the cases when the judges witness severe health damage.
11.3. In cases when the Fighter decides to continue the bout the fight doctor is not allowed to assist or render emergency care for surface injuries during the fight or in between rounds. No one including the timekeeper is allowed to provide medical aid during the tournament and the breaks in-between rounds, vaseline provided by the Organizer is allowed.
Paragraph 12.
Inspection and tournament access prior to the competition.
12.1. Tournament access decision inspection takes place at the Fighter’s locker room
12.2. The Fighter shall be admitted to the competition after fulfilling the following conditions:
12.2.1. Medical inspection and doctor’s approval confirmed by the superior judge.
12.2.2. Individual protective equipment inspection approved by the superior judge and the fight doctor.
12.2.3. Fighters’ and timekeepers’ appearance inspection.
12.2.4. Prior to the bout the Fighters shall receive the boxing gloves approved by present Rules and put them on in presence of the fight doctor certified by the superior judge.
12.2.5. After the gloves are approved by the superior judge they shall not be taken off before the end of the competition
12.3. Minimal usage of vaseline on the facial area is allowed. The vaseline shall be provided by the Organizer only, the referee defines the amount of vaseline needed. The access of vaseline shall be removed.
12.4. Direct appearance on the boxing ring according to the regulations with or without his support team.
Paragraph 13.
Timekeepers.
13.1. The Fighter is allowed to have no more than 3 timekeepers -one principal timekeeper and two assistants.
13.2. All three timekeepers shall retain position outside of their corner area during the tournament.
13.3. Only the principal timekeeper has the right to instruct the fighter during a bout.
13.4. Timekeepers are not allowed to touch the ropes, the ring and the platform during rounds, they are not allowed to place any objects on the ring or the platform during rounds.
13.5. Only one timekeeper at a time is allowed to enter the ring during breaks, the others shall stay behind ropes.
13.6. Timekeepers are prohibited from entering the ring or the platform or touching any fighter during the rounds. The decision shall be made according to paragraph 8.
13.7. When the referee calls “Time” after one-minute break in-between rounds the timekeepers shall immediately leave the platform.
13.8. Timekeepers as well as the Fighter they represent shall get cautions in case of rules violation. In case of a second caution timekeepers shall be disqualified from the tournament. Second caution and timekeepers’ disqualification shall not affect technical actions of a Fighter.
Paragraph 14.
Commands, gestures and terms used by the judges and their performance by the fighters and timekeepers.
14.1. Command “FIGHT” – is called out by the referee to start the competition on the ring. Accompanied by abrupt hand gesture with an opened palm pulled towards yourself from “FIGHTING POSITIONS” hand position. After the command is called out the timing shall start and the Fighters shall start or continue the tournament.
14.2. Command “FIGHTING POSITIONS” – is given by the referee after the Fighters took the indicated positions at the “PLACE” command. The command is accompanied by an opened palm gesture with an arm stretched out on a shoulder level and placed between the Fighters. After the command is called out the competitors shall take the fighting stance.
14.3. Command “PLACE” – is called out by the referee as a signal to take the waiting position on a ring in the place indicated by the referee. Accompanied by an opened palm hand gesture pointing towards the certain place.
14. 4. Command “STOP” – is called out by the referee to stop any actions, may be accompanied by separating the Fighters with hands or other ways. After the command is announced the fighters are obliged to stop any technical actions and take a waiting position.
14.5. Command “TIME” – is called out by the referee in the end of preparation period prior to the tournament, in the end of the rest period in-between rounds, technical break, time-out. Often accompanied by the following hand gesture –hands are raised on a shoulder level, stretched towards the front, opened palms are facing each other and hands point toward the center of the ring. After command is announced the Fighters shall take the waiting position and unauthorized persons shall leave the ring and the platform. Timekeeper also gives the sound signal command after the time is over.
14.6. Command “IN THE CORNER” – is announced by the referee and duplicated by the hand gesture with an opened palm pointing towards the corner which the Fighter should take. The Fighter takes place in the corner and takes a waiting position.
14.7. “TOUCH GLOVES” – is announced by the referee when the tournament is about to start right after the “PLACE” command and the announcement of the bout results. Hand gesture – the forearms crossed in front of the chest. The Fighters shall touch each other’s gloves simultaneously.
14.8. “CAUTION” command is accompanied by the hand gesture – open hand straightened diagonally down from the opposite shoulder, palm faces the ground, the arm points at the Fighter who received the caution. The Fighter shall take waiting position and show with a head nod that he understood the command. The same hand gesture is used for the timekeepers who represent a Fighter.
14.9. Command “WARNING” – when the Fighter gets a warning the referee calls out the command and straightens his hand with his index finger stretched on a fighter’s face level. The fighter shall take waiting position and show with a head nod that he understood the command.
14.10. Referee’s countdown:
14.10.1. If the Fighter is knocked down the referee should announce “KNOCKDOWN” command with a certain hand gesture: stretching out his arm with an opened palm from behind his head on a shoulder level. Referee shall instruct the other Fighter to retreat to the closest corner of the ring and take the waiting position.
14.10.2. The referee may start the countdown only after the other Fighter took his waiting position.
14.10.3. The referee shall continue the count by seconds unbending his fingers with the number of count. The hand stretches out from the back of the head on a shoulder level.
14.10.4. After finishing the countdown on “Ten” the referee gives the command “KNOCKOUT” accompanied by crossing hands above his head and spreading them aside.
14.10.5. During the countdown the towel throwing signal in order to stop the fight is not taken into consideration, the bout stops only in the end of the countdown.
14.11. “DRAW” command is called out by the referee and is duplicated by crossed hands on the waistline level.
14.12. Arms crossed and stretched in the front indicate no action evaluation case.
14.13. “DOCTOR” command is called out by the referee to invite the doctor to enter the ring, accompanied by the arm stretched upward. The fighters take waiting position in the nearest ring corner.
14.14. Referee has the right to announce other commands, accompanied by hand signals which shall be clear and understandable and meet present Rules.
Paragraph 15.
All complaints, protests and disagreements shall be submitted in a written form in person by a Fighter representative within two weeks after the competition’s date to the panel of judges on a Superior Judge’s name. During the tournament all protests, claims and objections are forbidden.
Paragraph 16.
Drug testing is mandatory for all Fighters. Positive result may lead to a fine, as well as title and prize confiscation.
