The sport of Mixed Martial Arts offers several avenues for fighters to gain an upper hand on their opponents by breaking the rules and not being punished for doing so. In the other major sports, a violation of the rules brings immediate action that is detrimental to the player as well as the team. In football, a rule breach is followed with a flag that sets either the offense or defense back; in hockey, a penalty is assessed and the team has to play short-handed and in basketball, a team is given a foul and either retains possession of the ball or is given free throws.
The sport of MMA is still developing, and the lack of competent referees leads to opportunities for fighters to break the rules and gain an upper hand. Here are some examples.