http://www.mmafighting.com/2016/8/2/123 ... w-rules-in
LAS VEGAS — It's a new day in mixed martial arts.
The Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) approved a package of rules changes Tuesday that amount to the greatest alterations to MMA's Unified Rules since their inception. The new rules include clearer language for judging and a redefinition of what makes a fighter grounded.
The rules, recommended by the ABC's rules and regulations committee and medical committee, were voted in at the group's annual conference by a vote of 42 to 1 with two abstentions. New Jersey was the only state to dissent. Tennessee and Mississippi abstained.
Commissions can implement the new rules right away, but some states have to go through their legislatures to make changes and that can take longer.
(Update: ABC president Mike Mazzulli said the rule changes will go into effect Jan. 1, 2017, after a discussion with the ABC body.)
