MMAFighting.com reported yesterday that Mike Mazzulli, president of the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC), has installed a brand new MMA rules and regulations committee that will be headed by former Bellator MMA play-by-play analyst Sean Wheelock (pictured), a certified boxing referee and commissioner with the Kansas Athletic Commission. The ABC are responsible for setting the standard of the Unified Rules of MMA in the United States of America, of which are widely adopted around the world including by IMMAF’s US counterpart, the United States Mixed Martial Arts Federation. Wheelock told MMAFighting.com that he aims to replicate the efforts of the USA’s National Football League (NFL) by continuously studying and discussing how the sported can be bettered from a rules and safety standpoint, and this could mean significant rule changes. “Every year the competition committee asks themselves two questions: How do we make the NFL safer and how do we make the NFL better?” Wheelock said. “They study, they debate.” Wheelock revealed that his initial points of investigation will focus on a series of hot topics that have been an issue throughout the years, including a clear outline of what constitutes a 10-8 round, clearing up the misconception of what defines a “grounded fighter”, the rule that prohibits heel strikes to the kidney region, and most notably, the illegal 12-6 downward elbow that is widely considered as an unnecessary and uneducated ruling. Wheelock’s commitee boasts a lineup of members featuring some of the most influential, articulate, and experienced names in Mixed Martial Arts that have been present throughout the sport’s evolution, including: Randy Couture – UFC Hall of Famer and former heavyweight & light-heavyweight champion. Matt Hughes – UFC Hall of Famer and former welterweight champion; UMMAF board member Jeremy Horn – 19 year fight veteran with 118 professional bouts. John McCarthy – iconic MMA referee. Rob Hinds – MMA referee. Kevin MacDonald – MMA referee. Dr. David Watson – ringside physician. Matt Woodruff – Georgia Athletic and Entertainment Commission director. Brian Dunn – head of the Nebraska Athletic Commission. The committee will hold monthly meetings and consensus decisions will be recomended to the ABC board who can in turn can bring any potential changes to the ABC body on a yearly basis. Furthermore, Wheelock has created an E-mail account open to suggestions from anyone, fans and fighters alike: [email protected]. For the full article by Marc Raimondi visit MMAFighting.com]]>
