ABC to vote on Loss of Bodily Function Control rule in July

The Unified Rules of mixed martial arts are codified by the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC). Then each individual State, Tribal, Provincial, or Municipal AC operate under local regulations that may or may not conform identically.

The process for refining the rules begins internally with the Rules and Regulations Committee. When that committee comes to a decision, the recommendations are forwarded to ABC president Mike Mazzulli, who forwards them to the executive and medical committees. If they pass through those committees, the recommendations can go up for a full vote at the annual conference, which will be held this year at Mohegan Sun from July 24-26.

Several new changes will be voted upon this year including Instant Replay, Technical Decisions, Hand Wraps and Joint Braces, and Loss of Bodily Function Control.

If a combatant, during a round, visibly loses control of a bodily function (i.e. vomit, urine, or bowels), the fight shall be stopped by the referee and the combatant shall lose the contest by TKO, reads the proposed new rule.

If a fighter loses bodily function control between rounds, the ringside physician will be called. Vomiting, for example, can be a sign of concussion. If the physician does not clear the fighter, the fight ends via TKO.

However, there is a Poop Rule. Whether during the fight or between rounds, the presence of fecal matter represents a biohazard and ends the fight immediately.

If fecal matter becomes apparent at any time, the bout shall be halted by the referee, and the offending combatant shall lose the contest by TKO, reads the proposed new rule, sanely.

There was just such a mishap this weekend at UFC Fight Night 112, in the Felice Herrig vs. Justine Kish strawweight scrap. It apparently went unnoticed by the ref, who in any case at present lacked the explicit regulatory authority to stop the bout for that reason.

The fight ended 30 seconds later, and tv viewers were none the wiser, but the Internet went all Internet over it.

https://twitter.com/FancyCombat/status/879179055588921346

For her part, Kish took it in stride.

https://twitter.com/JustineKish/status/879195708351533060

Herrig won a unanimous decision, but under the new rules would have won via TKO.