LAS VEGAS — There will be a delay in the implementation of the changes to MMA's Unified Rules.
After a public discussion with the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) body Wednesday, ABC president Mike Mazzulli announced that the amendments will go into effect beginning Jan. 1, 2017.
The new rules include a revised definition of what constitutes a grounded fighter and a cleaning up of the scoring criteria language.
Some commissions like Mohegan Sun and California could have put the rules in as early as this week, but every commission is different. There are jurisdictions that will have to get a majority vote from its commissioners to approve the rules.