Strikebox ran an event where they tried to use their own rules. Namely no ground work allowed. It would have been like shootboxing matches, only in a cage and not in a roped ring. The commission wouldn’t have it, so the promoter (the name escapes me now) had all the fighters to make gentleman’s agreements with each other to let each other get up after they are taken down. The main event was James Thompson vs. Steve Bosse. Thompson took Bosse down, and didn’t go by the gentleman’s agreement. He stayed on him with a sidemount and rained down some mounted punches on him. The fans basically went “what the fuck?!” and started throwing beer cans in the ring in disgust, and the fight was declared a no contest. Oh, and Bosse tried to attack Thompson afterward. It was just a huge clusterfuck.

It doesn’t sound like they are too happy about it either, as they are likely to be the next target for a political shakedown.

http://www.corussports.com/radio/audioplayer.php?file=1416673.mp3&mode=cn&id=1416673&date=20090214

UFC fans? Screwed.
MMA fighters? Screwed.
Local food and lodging providers? Screwed.

It seems the only people they’re making happy are local boxing promoters, who won’t have to deal with MMA potentially taking some of their business now.

The RACJ had wrote mma rules prior to the unified rules. They were used one time only. And they want to go back to these rules.

There are no knee, no elbow, no standing submission and no submission that are not choke, arm lock or foot lock.