Weight Classes

• Flyweight – up to 125 lbs.

• Bantamweight - over 125 lbs. to 135 lbs.

• Featherweight - over 135 lbs. to 145 lbs.

• Lightweight - over 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.

• Welterweight - over 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.

• Middleweight - over 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.

• Light Heavyweight - over 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.

• Heavyweight - over 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.

• Super Heavyweight - over 265 lbs.

* Fighters will be permitted to compete at a weight of two (2) pounds over the listed maximum.

* No weight allowance is permitted for Championship bouts.

* XCC does allow “Catch Weight” bouts, to be agreed upon 1 week (7 days) prior to the event

Bout Duration

• Bouts shall consist of three (3) 3-minute rounds

• Championship bouts shall consist of five (5) 3-minute rounds

• A one-minute rest period will occur between each round

Stopping a Fight

• The referee and or fight doctor are the only individuals authorized to stop a bout.

• A fighter’s corner can stop a bout by throwing in a towel.

Fouls

1. Butting with the head

2. Eye gouging of any kind

3. Biting

4. Hair pulling

5. Fish hooking

6. Groin attacks of any kind

7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent

8. Small joint manipulation (less than 3 fingers or toes)

9. Intentionally striking to the spine, top, or back of the head

10. Elbows of any kind above the shoulders.

11. Throat strikes of any kind, including without limitation, grabbing the trachea

12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh

13. Grabbing the clavicle (collar bone)

14. Kicking the head of a grounded opponent, ( if at least one hand is down, a fighter is considered down, or if the cage is the only thing holding up the fighter, he’s considered down)

15. Kneeing the head of a grounded opponent (( if at least one hand is down, a fighter is considered down, or if the cage is the only thing holding up the fighter, he’s considered down)

16. Stomping a grounded opponent

17. Kicking to the kidney with the heel

18. Intentionally spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck

19. Throwing an opponent out of the cage.

20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent

21. Spitting at an opponent

22. Engaging in an unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent

23. Grabbing the fence

24. Using abusive language in the fenced area

25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break

26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee

27. Attacking an opponent after the round horn has sounded, or before the fight has officially started

28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee

29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury

30. Interference by the corner

31. Removing and intentionally throwing a mouthpiece before, during, or after a bout will result in immediate disqualification.

• If a fighter fouls his opponent during a contest, the referee shall warn and may penalize the offending fighter by deducting point(s) from his score or immediately disqualifying a fighter, whether the foul was intentional or not. The referee may elect to disqualify a fighter for his first foul based on the severity of the foul.

• When the referee determines that it is necessary to deduct point(s) because of a foul, he shall call time and verbally notify the offender as well as the judges of the nature of the foul as well as the deduction of point(s).

• Any point(s) to be deducted for any foul must be deducted at the end of the round in which the foul occurred, and may not be deducted from the score of any subsequent round.

• If a fighter performs an illegal maneuver against the opponent, and the ref calls a time-out to allow the offended fighter time to recover, BOTH fighters are to be sent to neutral corners (no coaching of either fighter during this recovery period of up to 5 minutes).

Ways To Win

1. Submission by:

• Physical tap out

• Verbal tap out

• Corner throwing in the towel

2. Technical knockout by the referee stopping the contest

3. Judges’ decision via the scorecards, including:

• Unanimous Decision (all judges pick the same fighter as the winner)

• Split Decision (one judge picks one fighter - the other two judges pick the other fighter)

• Majority Decision (two judges pick the same fighter as the winner - one judge declares the contest a draw)

• Draw: Unanimous Draw, Majority Draw, or Split Draw –

4. Technical Decision

5. Technical Draw

6. Disqualification

7. Forfeit

8. No contest

Referee Restart

• If the fight goes to the mat and a fighter or both fighters are not attempting to improve position or finish the fight, the referee may restart the fighters from the standing position.

Scoring a Bout

All mixed martial arts contests shall be evaluated by 3 judges.

The 10-Point Must Scoring System will be the standard system of scoring a contest. Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System, 10 points must be awarded to the winner of the round and 9 points or fewer must be awarded to the loser, except for a rare even round, which is scored (10-10).

Judges shall evaluate mixed martial arts techniques, such as effective striking, effective grappling, control of the ring, effective aggressiveness, and defense.

Evaluation shall be made in the order in which the techniques appear in, giving the most weight in scoring to effective striking, effective grappling, control of the cage, effective aggressiveness, and defense.

Effective striking is judged by determining the total number of legal heavy strikes landed by a contestant.

Effective grappling is judged by considering the amount of successful executions of a legal takedown and reversals. All of the following are examples of factors to consider:

(a) Take downs from standing position to mount position.

(b) Passing the guard to mount position.

(c) Bottom position ring using an active, threatening guard.

Cage control is judged by determining who is dictating the pace, location and position of the contest. All of the following are examples of and factors to consider:

(a) Countering a grappler's attempt at takedown by remaining standing and legally striking,

(b) Taking down an opponent to force a ground contest.

(c) Creating threatening submission attempts.

(d) Passing the guard to achieve mount.

(e) Creating striking opportunities.

(f) Maintaining control of the center of the cage.

Effective aggressiveness means moving forward and landing a legal strike.

Effective defense means avoiding being struck, taken down, or reversed while countering with offensive attacks.

The following objective scoring criteria shall be used by the judges when scoring a round:

(a) A round is to be scored as a 10-10 round when both contestants appear to be competing evenly and neither contestant clear dominance in a round.

(b) A round is to be scored as a 10-9 round when a contestant wins by a close margin, landing the greater number of effective legal strikes, grappling, and other maneuvers.

(c) A round is to be scored as a 10-8 round when a contestant overwhelmingly dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

(d) A round is to be scored as a 10-7 round when a contestant totally dominates by striking or grappling in a round.

Judges shall use a sliding scale and recognize the length of time the contestants are either standing or on the ground, as follows:

If the mixed martial arts contestant spent a majority of a round on the canvas, then the following apply:

(a) Effective grappling is weighed first.
(b) Effective striking is weighed second.

If the mixed martial arts contestant spent a majority of a round standing, then the following apply:

(a) Effective striking is weighed first.
(b) Effective grappling is weighed second.

If a round ends with a relatively even amount of standing and canvas competition, striking and grappling are weighed equally.

Officials who score the contest shall mark their cards in ink at the end of each round.

Officials who score the contest shall sign their scorecards.

The referee shall, at the end of a round, collect the score sheet for the round from each judge and shall give the score sheets to the scorekeeper for computation.

Referees and judges shall be discreet at all times and shall not discuss their decisions with anyone during a show.

Fighter Unable to Continue Due to Injuries Sustained During Competition

• If an injury sustained during competition is the result of a legal maneuver and is severe enough to terminate a bout, the injured fighter shall lose by technical knockout.

• If an injury sustained during competition is the result of an intentional foul and is severe enough to terminate a bout, the fighter causing the injury shall lose by disqualification.

• If an injury is sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul and the bout is allowed to continue, the referee shall notify the judges to deduct one point from the offending fighter’s score for the round in which the foul was committed.

• If an injury sustained during competition as a result of an intentional foul causes the injured fighter to be unable to continue at a subsequent point in the contest, the injured fighter shall win by technical decision if he is ahead on the scorecards. If the injured fighter is even or behind on the scorecards at the time of stoppage, the outcome of the bout shall be declared a technical draw.

• If a fighter is injured while attempting to intentionally foul his opponent, the referee shall not take any action and the injury shall be treated in the same manner as an injury produced by a legal strike.

• If an injury sustained during competition is the result of an accidental foul and is severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout shall result in a no contest if:

1. The bout is stopped before 2 rounds have been completed for a scheduled three-round bout.

2. The bout is stopped before 3 rounds have been completed for a scheduled five-round bout.

• If an injury sustained during competition is the result of an accidental foul and is severe enough for the referee to stop the bout immediately, the bout shall result in a technical decision awarded to the fighter who is ahead on the scorecards at the time the bout is stopped if:

1. The bout is stopped after 2 rounds have been completed for a scheduled three-round bout.

2. The bout is stopped after 3 rounds have been completed for a scheduled five-round bout.

There will be no scoring of an incomplete round. However, if the referee penalizes either fighter, the appropriate point(s) shall be deducted when the final score is calculated.

Fighter Information

Fighters must check in no later than 4:30 p.m. A fighter who does not check in by 4:30 p.m. may not be able to compete. Fighters may check in and leave the venue after photos, video interviews, and medical checks, but must return in time for the fighter meeting (check Itinerary for time)

Fighter meetings are not optional. Every fighter must attend fighter meetings as there could be a rule instituted or an important piece of information discussed during the meeting. Any fighter who misses the meeting MAY BE PULLED FROM THE CARD.

Corner Personnel

• Corner personnel must be legitimate, able to apply knowledge to aid the fighter with instruction during the bout, or by tending to cuts and abrasions.

• Each fighter is permitted to have two (2) corner persons cage side during a bout, but there is a maximum of 4 corners per team in the case of multiple fighters from the same team. NO MORE – NO EXCEPTIONS! A fighter may have up to three (3) additional teammates walk to the cage prior to the bout, but non-corner personnel are not permitted to stay cage side during the bout.

• Two chairs shall be located outside the cage near each fighter’s corner for corner personnel. Corner personnel must utilize the seating provided during a bout.

• Each fighter is responsible for providing appropriate supplies for corner personnel to treat minor cuts and abrasions. The fight doctor may assist with treatment.

Two (2) corner personnel must be finalized by the day prior to the event no later than 7:00 p.m. (at the weigh-in?) The two names will be on a printed sheet located at the fighter check in table the day of the show. It is the fighter’s responsibility to check this list upon checking in to ensure the names are correct. If there is a change to be made, fighter must make the change and initial the change. Anyone not listed as a corner will not be permitted to enter the venue without a ticket. Promoter may reject anyone chosen as a corner.

All corner personnel must attend the fighter meeting beginning at (check Itinerary for time). There will be a roll call to ensure all corners are in attendance. Corners who do not attend the fighter meeting will be permitted to stay backstage with the fighter, but will not be cage side during the bout. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Hand Wrapping and Gloves

• XCC provides gauze, tape, and personnel to wrap fighter's hands. Fighters may choose to have his or her corner/trainer/manager wrap his or her hands. However, ALL HAND WRAPPING must be performed in the designated area or in the presence of the Glove Inspector. NO HAND WRAPPING WILL BE DONE IN THE DRESSING ROOMS WITHOUT THE PRESENCE OF A XCC STAFF MEMBER. NO EXCEPTIONS! NO HAND WRAPPING WILL BE DONE OUTSIDE THE VENUE. NO EXCEPTIONS! Fighter who check in with hands already wrapped must remove all wraps and be re-taped according to XCC guidelines. The Glove Inspector will inspect the wraps to ensure adequate but not excessive materials have been used and mark the wraps prior to gloving. After gloves have been placed on the fighter, the wrist straps will be secured with colored tape corresponding to the fighter's corner. This tape is not to be removed unless done in the presence of the Glove Inspector.

The bandages used on each fighter’s hand shall consist of soft gauze that is not more than 13 yards long and 2 inches wide, held in place by not more than 10 feet of surgeon’s tape, 1 ince wide, for each hand.

BOTH OF THE FOLLOWING SHALL APPLY:

(a) The surgeon's adhesive tape shall be placed directly on each hand for
protection near the wrist. The tape may cross the back of the hand twice and extend to cover and protect the knuckles when the hand is clenched to make a fist.

(b) The bandages shall be evenly distributed across the hand.
XCC provides gloves for fighter use in competition and must be returned after each bout. Fighters may wear ONLY WEAR XCC GLOVES.

Protective Equipment

• All male fighters shall wear a groin protector. The groin protector is subject to approval by the inspector, referee or promoter.

• Female fighters may wear a chest protector during competition. The chest protector is subject to approval by the inspector, referee or promoter.

• Female fighters are prohibited from wearing groin protectors.

• All fighters are required to wear a mouthpiece during competition. Mouthpieces are subject to examination and approval by the attending fight doctor, referee, or inspector.

• If board shorts or Muay Thai shorts are worn by a fighter, compression shorts are to be worn underneath in order to hold the cup. A jock strap will be used to hold the cup underneath Vale Tudo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shorts.

Alcohol and Drugs

• Fighters must not be under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs before or during a bout. A fighter will be pulled from scheduled bout if deemed to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

• During the pre-fight physical, fighters are required to notify the fight doctor if any prescription medications are being taken.

Fighter Apparel

• Each fighter shall wear clean, undamaged shorts. These may include board shorts, spandex biking shorts, Vale Tudo shorts, or Muay Thai shorts. Athletic shorts are also acceptable, but must not have side pockets. All shorts are subject to inspection and approval by the inspector, referee or promoter.

• Fighters are not permitted to wear a gi, shirt (except for females) or shoes during competition. Exceptions may be made at the Promoter's discretion.

• If board shorts or Muay Thai shorts are worn by a fighter, compression shorts are to be worn underneath in order to hold the cup. A jock strap will be used to hold the cup underneath Vale Tudo or Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu shorts.

Fighter’s Personal Hygiene and Personal Appearance

• Each fighter is expected to be clean and of good personal hygiene.

• Fighters are permitted to have facial hair. The referee may disqualify a fighter for attempting to utilize facial hair to injure an opponent’s eye.

• A fighter’s hair must be trimmed or tied back in such a manner as not to interfere with the vision of either fighter.

• Facial piercings, body piercings, or body paint are prohibited during competition.

A fighter’s finger and toenails must be trimmed.

Bout Agreements

• Each fighter, amateur or professional, is required to sign a bout agreement prior to competing. A signed bout agreement protects the promoter as well as the fighter.

• Fighters failing to return a signed bout agreement by the required date will be pulled from that fight card.

Travel Expenses

• Xtreme Cagefighting Championship (XCC) - is committed to treating fighters with the proper respect and class they deserve, including paying fighter travel expenses such as gas, food, and hotel room(s). Travel expenses will be established prior to the show and will be paid after each show.

Notes from the Promoter

• Xtreme Cagefighting Championship (XCC) promotes Mixed Martial Arts with honesty and integrity. I feel that we as MMA fans, fighters, and promoters have a responsibility to educate those unfamiliar with the sport. We all carry the burden of doing our part to help grow a sport that is often misunderstood. Please demonstrate to the fans that you are in fact good sportsmen, not just fighters. There will always be “newbies” watching an event. Make a solid impression on them and do your part to ensure a bright future for MMA. Fight hard, fight clean, and put on a great show for the paying fans.