Chapter 18. Muay Thai Regulations — Professional

“Commission” means the State Athletic Commission of Maryland.

“Contest” means any Muay Thai:

“Contestant” means a Muay Thai fighter who participates against an opponent in a contest.

Manager.

“Muay Thai” means a competition in which contestants use interdisciplinary forms of fighting, including striking with the hands, feet, knees, or elbows.

“Official record” means the cumulative results of Muay Thai contests, sanctioned by a regulatory agency, in which a contestant has participated.

“Promoter” means an individual, partnership, corporation, club, association or other organization that gives, holds, or otherwise conducts a Muay Thai contest within the State.

“Regulatory agency” means a commission, board, or other entity of a state, commonwealth, territory, or country, created by law or executive order, which regulates Muay Thai contests.

“Second” means an individual who assists a Muay Thai contestant during a contest.

Mini-Flyweight up to and including 105 pounds

Light-Flyweight over 105 to 108 pounds;

Flyweight over 108 to 112 pounds;

Super-Flyweight over 112 to 115 pounds;

Bantamweight over 115 to 118 pounds;

Super-Bantamweight over 118 to 122 pounds;

Featherweight over 122 to 126 pounds;

Super-Featherweight over 126 to 130 pounds;

Lightweight over 130 to 135 pounds;

Super Lightweight over 135 to 140 pounds ;

Welterweight over 140 to 147 pounds;

Super-Welterweight over 147 to 154 pounds;

Middleweight over 154 to 160 pounds;

Super Middleweight over 160 to 168 pounds;

Light Heavyweight over 168 to 175 pounds;

Cruiserweight over 175 to 200 pounds;

Heavyweight over 200 to 225 pounds; and

Super Heavyweight over 225 pounds

A maximum of one roll (no more than 2 inches wide and 20 yards in length) of white, soft, cloth gauze is permitted per hand;

A maximum of one roll (no more than 2 inches wide and 10 feet in length) of white athletic tape is permitted per hand, which shall:

Placed on a Muay Thai contestant’s hands in the dressing room in the presence of the chief second of the Muay Thai contestant’s opponent; and

Be inspected and approved by the Commission prior to the gloves being placed on the hands of the Muay Thai contestant.

Be open-fingered;

Conform to specifications as determined by the Commission;

Weigh 8 ounces from weight classes Mini-Flyweight to Super-Welterweight; and

Weigh 10 ounces from weight classes Middleweight to Super-Heavyweight.

Fighters shall wear shorts approved by the Commission;

Rules for male and female fighters are the same.

The hem of trunks shall not extend below the mid-thigh;

Long pants or leggings are prohibited.

Compression shorts may be worn under the approved fight trunks, but they may not extend down the leg below the bottom of the trunks.

Female fighters shall wear short sleeved (above the elbow) or sleeveless form fitting rash guard and or sports bra.

No loose-fitting tops shall be allowed.

The use of breast protectors is optional for female fighters as determined by the Commission.

Female fighters shall follow the same requirements for bottom coverings as male fighters, minus the requirement for groin protection.

Body cosmetics are any product applied to the body for cleansing, beautifying, or altering appearance and shall be prohibited during all contests.

Facial cosmetics are products used improve the appearance of the face, and. the use of such products shall be at the discretion of the Commission and/or referee.

Other than the fighter’s hands, as previously listed, there will be no taping, covering, or protective gear of any kind on the upper body, which includes but is not limited to:

Ankle joint sleeves:

The ring may not be smaller than 20 feet square and may not be larger than 32 feet square within the ropes.

The ring floor shall:

The ring platform:

The ring posts:

The ring ropes:

The fenced area shall be circular or have at least four equal sides.

The fenced area may not be smaller than 20 feet wide and may not be larger than 32 feet wide in diameter.

The floor of the fenced area shall:

The platform of the fenced area:

The fence posts of the fenced area shall be:

The fencing used to enclose the fenced area shall be made of a material that will prevent a Muay Thai contestant from falling out of, or breaking through, the fenced area onto the floor of the building or onto the spectators.

Any metal portion of the fenced area shall be covered and padded in a manner approved by the Commission and may not be abrasive to the Muay Thai contestant.

The fenced area shall have two entrances.

There may not be any obstruction on any part of the fence surrounding the area where Muay Thai Contestant are to be competing.

A fighter who has an advantage in the number or quality of knockdowns in a round shall never lose that round.

If there is no advantage in knockdowns, the fighter with a clear advantage in cumulative damage shall win the round.

If there is not a clear advantage in cumulative damage, the fighter with the greater number and/or variety of clean scoring Muay Thai techniques shall win the round.

Under the 10 Point Must Scoring System, ten points must be awarded to the winner of the round.

The fighter who has lost the round may be awarded nine or less points depending on the margin of advantage.

In the very rare case that neither fighter has shown even a marginal advantage, a 10-10 round may be awarded.

Partial or incomplete rounds shall be scored. If no significant action has occurred, the round shall be scored as 10-10. This is at the discretion of the judges.

Any time the referee penalizes either fighter, then the appropriate points shall be deducted when the scorekeeper calculates the final score including partial rounds.

An extremely rare 10-10 round is not a score to be used as an excuse by a judge that cannot assess the differences in the action of a round. It should only be used to score an incomplete round where nothing occurred in the round.

A round is to be scored as a 10-9 round when there is a slight or clear advantage in overall action favoring one fighter, but not an overwhelming advantage.

A round is to be scored as a 10-8 round when there is an overwhelming advantage without a knockdown, or a fighter won the round and scored a knockdown.

A round is to be scored as a 10-7 round when a fighter won the round and scored two knockdowns.

A round is to be scored as a 10-6 round when a fighter won the round and scored three knockdowns.

Head butts;

Groin strikes;

Thumbing or eye gouging;

Biting;

Spiting at the opponent;

Hair pulling;

Attacks to the throat;

Striking your opponent while grounded;

Strikes directed to the back of the head or the spine;

Tripping or sweeping an opponent;

Hip, shoulder, or leg throws;

Grasping the opponent’s lower back while also forcing an opponent's spine to hyperextend;

Intentionally falling on a downed opponent, pressing elbow or knee upon the opponent;

Wrestling, back or arm locks or any similar judo or wrestling hold;

Attempting to pile-drive an opponent's head into the canvas;

Catching an opponent's kick and pushing an opponent for more than one step in any direction without attempting to deliver an attacking technique;

If a fighter’s leg is caught while kicking, the opponent may not intentionally ground themselves;

Striking a downed fighter or fighter entangled in the ropes;

Failure to obey the referee’s commands;

Striking on a break;

Striking after a bell;

Holding the ropes/cage or using the ropes/cage while striking or clinching;

Holding the opponent’s shorts;

Timidity or causing intentional delays in the action;

Unsportsmanlike behavior including use of abusive language and/or gestures; and

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

Low Blow.

Eye Poke.

If an intentional foul causes an injury, and the injury is severe enough to terminate the bout immediately, the fighter causing the injury shall lose by disqualification.

If an intentional foul causes an injury and the bout is allowed to continue, the referee shall notify the authorities and deduct two points from the fighter who caused the foul. Point deductions for intentional fouls will be mandatory.

If an injury caused by an intentional foul results in the contest being stopped in any round after half of the scheduled rounds have been completed, by either another legal or illegal strike, the judges will score the incomplete round and:

If a fighter injures themselves while attempting to intentionally foul their opponent, but is able to continue fighting, the referee shall take no action and treat the injury as if produced by a fair blow. If the referee determined the fighter who injured themselves is unable to continue, that fighter will lose by Technical Knockout/Knockout.

If an accidental foul causes an injury severe enough for the referee to terminate the bout immediately, the bout will result in either a No Contest or Disqualification if stopped before:

If an accidental foul causes an injury severe enough for the referee to terminate the bout, the bout will result in a Technical Decision awarded to the fighter who is ahead on the score cards at the time the bout is stopped immediately, after:

If a fighter, during the course of a round, visibly loses control of bodily function (vomit, urine, feces), the fight shall be stopped by the referee and the fighter shall lose the contest by a Technical Knockout (TKO) due to Medical Stoppage.

Points Decision.

Draws occur when:

Knockouts occur when a fighter is incapable of resuming the fight within the referee’s ten-count due to legal strikes or the referee stops the contest because a fighter cannot effectively defend themselves.

Technical Knockouts occur when:

Disqualification occurs when an injury sustained during the bout as a result of an intentional foul is severe enough to terminate the bout, multiple fouls have been assessed, interference from a fighter’s corner, and/or there is a flagrant disregard for the rules and/or referee’s commands.

When a bout is prematurely stopped due to an accidental injury and a sufficient number of rounds have not been completed to render a decision via the scorecards.

If the referee decides both fighters must be disqualified.