There’s instant replay in the NFL, the NBA, the NHL and MLB.
Now it’s finally coming to mixed martial arts, but slowly.
The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) rules and regulations committee for MMA passed the use of instant replay but only for fight-finishing sequences. The new rule will come to a vote during the summer at the ABC’s yearly conference in Connecticut.
Bloody Elbow was the first to report on the proposed rule.
Committee chair and former Bellator commentator Sean Wheelock told MMA Fighting a referee “may only use Instant Replay when he/she feels that a “Fight Ending Sequence” was possibly caused by an illegal action (foul) whether intentional or unintentional.”
The quote means if a foul occurs which leads to the end of a fight, the referee at their discretion will be able to look at a replay of the ending sequence and make a decision on whether a foul took place.
The replay rule, per the codified language, would be in place to allow the referee to make the correct call in determining the outcome of the fight in calling: a winner of the match; having the fight go to to the judges’ scorecards for a technical decision; and/or whether the bout will be a ruled a no contest or disqualification.
Here is what the proposed rule would be:
Instant Replay Use in Mixed Martial Arts Competition
The use of Instant Replay in MMA must be set under parameters that insure fairness in the match and a proper outcome at the conclusion of the fight. Instant Replay may not be possible in some smaller shows that are not being videotaped.
Due to the complexities involved in the sport of MMA, the referee may only use Instant Replay when he/she feels that a “Fight Ending Sequence” was possibly caused by an illegal action (foul) whether intentional or unintentional. At such a time the referee and only the referee may call for a review of the last moments of the fight. Once reviewing the replay the referee can either confirm or dispel whether a foul was committed that brought about the fight ending sequence and take the appropriate actions from there.
It should be noted that Instant Replay is not to be used to review the actions of the referee. Examples of this include:
1. Was the fight was stopped at the right moment?
2. Was there a tap?
3. Did a fighter commit a foul that did not bring about an end to the fight?
If a referee utilizes instant replay, the information obtained from the replay cannot be used to restart the fight as the fight is officially over and may not be resumed.
The sole purpose of Instant Replay in MMA is to allow the referee to make a correct call on the outcome of the fight in calling:
1. A winner of the match
2. Having the fight go to the judge’s scorecards for a Technical Decision
3. Is the fight going to be a “No Contest”?
4. Disqualification
