Acts Considered to be Fouls in MMA

The following acts constitute as fouls in a contest or exhibition of mixed martial arts and may result in penalties. All penalties are at the discretion of the referee if and when they are committed. What constitutes as a foul is:

• Eye gouging of any kind

• Butting with the head

• Biting or spitting at an opponent

• Hair Pulling

• Fish hooking (Fish hooking is the act of inserting a finger, fingers, hand, or hands into the mouth or nostrils or a person, pulling away from the centreline of the body.)

• Spiking an opponent to the canvas on their neck or head

• Throat strikes of any kind, and/or grabbing the trachea

• Strikes to the spine or the back of the head

• Fingers outstretched toward an opponent’s face/eyes

• Groin attacks of any kind

• Downward pointing elbow strike (Also known as 12-6 elbows)

• Stomping a grounded opponent

• Kneeing and/or kicking the head of a grounded opponent

• Holding an opponent’s gloves or shorts

• Small joint manipulation

• Holding or grabbing the fence or ropes with fingers or toes

• Throwing an opponent out of the ring/cage/fighting area

• Clawing, pinching, or twisting the flesh

• Intentionally placing a finger into any orifice or any cut or laceration of an opponent

• Timidity (avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury.)

• Flagrant disregarding of the referee’s instructions

• Using abusive language in the fighting area

• Unsportsmanlike conduct that causes injury to an opponent

• Attacking an opponent on or during a break

• Attacking an opponent after the bell has sounded the end of the period of unarmed combat

• Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee

• Interference from a mixed martial artist’s corner or seconds

Noteable things about fouls:

1. Disqualifications may occur after any combination of fouls or after a flagrant foul at the discretion of the referee.

2. Fouls may result in a point deduction by the official scorekeeper from the offending contestant’s score. The scorekeeper, not the judges, will be responsible for calculating the true score after factoring in the point deduction.

3. Only the referee can assess a foul. If the referee does not call the foul, judges must not make that assessment on their own and should not factor such into their scoring calculations.