ABC changes eye poke, neoprene sleeve rules for MMA

The Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports (ABC) on Wednesday passed two changes to the unified rules of MMA.

The ABC’s annual conference takes place annually at a different location around the country with many heads and representatives of commissioning bodies from around the country and beyond in attendance. This year’s conference is in Niagara Falls, N.Y.,

Led by association president Mike Mazzulli, the conference takes place over the course of five days. The first two days consist of refereeing and judging courses led by certified instructors Kevin MacDonald, Blake Grice, and Sal D’Amato. The three days after are spent discussing prevalent issues in MMA and listening to guest speakers.

Topics such as weight cutting, fighter safety, open scoring, transgender athletes and TUE exemptions were discussed at this year’s conference. Guest speakers included a host of medical professionals, as well as former UFC fighters Din Thomas and Jake Ellenberger.

Wednesday marked the final day for the 2022 ABC Conference with the most outright consequential impacts: rules voting. Two MMA rules were up for vote and passed unanimously.