(The match up that launched a thousand rematches)
Last Friday we (and the rest of the known cyber MMA world) complained about Singapore MMA promotion One FC botching an otherwise solid event in the Philippines with convoluted rules relating to kicks to the heads of downed opponents. Referees somehow had to give fighters “permission” in the moment to throw kicks to the heads of their fallen opponents.
You might remember that Phil Baroni won his fight with a barrage of punches and kicks to the head of his opponent Rodrigo Ribeiro while Andrei Arlovski was penalized for kicking the head of the dropped Tim Sylvia. When the “Mainiac” could not continue, their fight was ruled a no-contest (GIFS of both fight endings here, full fight videos here).
Sunday night, a message was sent out from the OneFCMMA twitter account, hoping to set things right.
Effective immediately, ONE FC has adopted full PRIDE rules for soccer kicks.Catch ONE FC: Rise of Kings on Oct 6!
— ONE FC (@ONEFCMMA) September 3, 2012
While, grammatically, the announcement may still leave some uncertainty (are they adopting and implementing all of the rules last used by the now defunct Japanese MMA organization, Pride, or just the Pride rules pertaining to ‘soccer kicks?’ Also, we have to assume that they are referring to Pride rules used in Japan, not the adapted ones used by the organization in fights held in the United States) but it is probably safe to assume, at least, that One FC fighters will now be allowed to kick and knee the heads of their opponents on the feet and on the ground without fear of being penalized.
Last Friday, this writer said that what was needed from One FC was a simple, clear-cut decision to allow or not allow kicks and knees to the heads of downed opponents, not equivocation or delay. If they’ve done that, then it is a step in the right direction.
By the way, things sure do move fast without having to deal with athletic commissions to approve your organization’s rules, huh?