GMA FIGHT RULES

MMA RULESET

 

GMA applies the current Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) ruleset and the latest updates issued by the Vietnam MMA Federation (Decision No. 01/QĐ-LĐVTTHVN dated February 1, 2021).

​

COMPETITION REGULATIONS

 

​

I. PARTICIPANT ELIGIBILITY

​​

• Male fighters, aged 18 to 45.

• Citizens of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, or Malaysia.

• Must be in excellent physical health.

​

​

II. WEIGHT CLASSES

​​

• Mantis: 53 kg (>51–53 kg)

• Cobra: 55 kg (>53–55 kg)

• Bantam: 57 kg (>55–57 kg)

• Eagle: 59 kg (>57–59 kg)

• Panther: 63 kg (>59–63 kg)

• Tiger: 68 kg (>63–68 kg)

​

​

III. GENERAL RULES

​

ATTIRE

​​

• Fighters may wear their own MMA shorts.

• Fighters must bring two (2) different pairs of shorts to the event.

• Shorts must be well-fitting, not extend below the knees, and must not expose any indecent areas. Designs, patterns, or wording deemed culturally inappropriate are prohibited.

• Male fighters are not allowed to wear shirts during the match.

• No jewelry is allowed.

• When requested, fighters must wear shorts and clothing provided by GMA.
   

PROTECTIVE GEAR

​​

• Fighters must wear GMA-provided MMA gloves.

• Fighters wrap their own hands.

• Fighters must bring and use their own groin protectors and mouthguards, subject to GMA approval.
   

FIGHT ARENA

​​

• The GMA ring is a hexagon measuring 43 square meters and 90 cm in height. It features a steel frame for shock absorption, an EVA foam mat surface, and an anti-slip canvas cover. The ring is enclosed by five tensioned silicon-coated ropes, with a competition area of 35 square meters and a top rope height of 128 cm from the mat. All six corners are padded for safety.

• A polymer braided net system is installed between the 1st and 2nd ropes (from 18 cm to 48 cm above the mat) to prevent fighters from falling out of the ring while maintaining movement freedom. This design minimizes the fight’s interruptions and enhances safety.
   

INSURANCE

​​

• GMA provides health insurance to cover injuries sustained during the match. Pre-existing conditions are excluded.

​

​

IV. REFEREES & MATCH OUTCOMES

​

REFEREES and JUDGES

 

To ensure the highest level of fair competition, each GMA match will have 1 referee, 1 assistant referee, 2 technical inspectors, 3 judges, 1 scorekeeper, and 1 timekeeper.

​

• Referee: Controls the match inside the ring. Depending on the severity of a fighter’s violation, the head referee may issue a verbal warning, official caution, deduction of prize money, or disqualification for breaching competition rules. In a single match, the head referee may issue a maximum of two yellow cards to each fighter. Each yellow card results in a 5% deduction of the fighter's prize money.
   

• Assistant Referee: Inspects fighters before they enter the ring, observes the match, and consults with the referee when necessary throughout the bout.
   

• Technical Inspectors: Inspects fighters during their preparation and monitors their corners between rounds. They are responsible for checking attire, protective gear, hygiene, hair, nails, etc., in accordance with GMA regulations.
   

• Judges: Sit across from one another outside the ring, observing and scoring the performance of the fighters according to tournament rules.
   

• Timekeeper: Responsible for signaling the start and end of each round and pausing the time when requested by the referee.
   

• Scorekeeper: Records and compiles the judges’ scores, and provides the official result to the MC at the end of each match.
   

EXCEPTIONAL OUTCOMES

​

• Forfeit: If a fighter chooses not to continue for non-injury reasons, the opponent is declared the winner. The forfeiting fighter receives no prize money.
   

• No Contest
   

  • If a fighter is injured due to an unintentional foul or if both fighters are injured and cannot continue, the fight is paused up to 5 minutes for recovery.

  • If unable to continue, the bout is ruled a No Contest and both fighters receive a participation prize.

  • If the incident occurs after Round 1, judges may render a result.

  • In quarterfinals/semifinals, the higher-ranked fighter advances.

  • Determination of serious injury is made by the referee with medical input. If no serious injury is found but the fighter refuses to continue, it is considered a forfeit.
     

• Disqualification
   

  • Intentional illegal actions that cause injury or compromise the opponent’s ability to continue result in the offending fighter’s disqualification and forfeiture of prize money.
     

• Protests
   

  • Must be submitted in writing with the fighter and coach’s signatures within 48 hours.

  • A protest fee of 2,000,000 VND is required.

  • GMA will review and issue a final decision.
     

• Unspecified Situations
   

  • For any issue not explicitly covered by the rules, GMA will consult its advisory board and decide with fairness as a guiding principle.

​​​

​

V. WEIGH-IN REGULATIONS

 

WEIGHT CUTTING

​

To ensure the safety of fighters and fairness of the tournament, fighters must comply with the following weight regulations:

​

• At the time of registration, a fighter’s weight must not exceed 15% over the weight class they intend to compete in.

• Three (3) weeks before the fight date, a fighter’s weight must not exceed 8% over their weight class.

• Two (2) weeks before the fight date, a fighter’s weight must not exceed 6% over their weight class.

• One (1) week before the fight date, a fighter’s weight must not exceed 4% over their weight class.

​

GMA will conduct weight checks either in person or via video call. Fighters who fail to meet weight requirements will have 3 days to make adjustments. After this period, any fighter still exceeding the limit will have 2.5% of their prize deducted for each 1% overweight. Fighters exceeding the weight limit by more than 5% may be disqualified from the tournament.

​

WEIGH-IN & FACE-OFF

​

All fighters must attend the official weigh-in at 09:00 AM one day before the event, at a location designated by GMA.

Fighters must bring a health check certificate issued by a licensed medical authority within 20 days of the competition.

​

• Fighters who arrive more than 20 minutes late for weigh-in or competition will have 5% of their prize deducted.

• Fighters who arrive more than 60 minutes late will be disqualified. The match will be declared "No Contest", and the opponent will receive the Participation Award. Except for title bouts, the opponent will automatically advance to the next round.

​

Fighters who fail to meet the registered weight limit must re-weigh at 8:15 PM on the same day.

In the qualifying, quarterfinal, and semifinal rounds, if a fighter still exceeds the weight limit during the second weigh-in, the opponent may refuse to fight. If so, the opponent receives the “Participation” prize and advances. The overweight fighter will be disqualified and the match declared “No Contest.”

​

If the opponent agrees to fight, the overweight fighter's prize will be deducted according to the following scale (penalty will be added to the opponent’s prize):

​

• Over 0.1% to 1% – 10% deduction

• Over 1.1% to 2% – 20% deduction

• Over 2.1% to 3% – 30% deduction

• Over 3.1% to 4% – 40% deduction

• Over 4.1% to 5% – 50% deduction 

(Continue increasing for higher levels of violation)

​

Fighters are not allowed to exceed the upper limit of the next weight class. Any violation will result in disqualification, and the match will be declared "No Contest".

For example:

• A fighter registered in the Eagle division (under 59kg) must not weigh more than 63kg (entry limit of the Black Panther division).

• A fighter in the Black Panther division (under 63kg) must not exceed 68kg (entry limit of the Tiger division).

​

TITLE MATCHES

 

Overweight fighters will not be eligible to win the championship title or belt and will only receive 20% of the prize if they win the bout.

If the opponent refuses to fight, they will receive the “Participation” prize and no championship belt will be awarded. The overweight fighter will be disqualified and the match declared “No Contest.”

​

PARTICIPATION

 

In this context, fighters who attend all required sessions organized by GMA and are not disqualified or withdrawn are considered to have participated.

 

​

VI. COMPETITION RULES

 

FIGHTER REQUIREMENTS

​

• Maintain personal hygiene and wear clean clothing.

• Fingernails and toenails must be cut short.

• Hair must be tied neatly.

• No application of any chemical substances that may interfere with the fight.

• Fighters must be ready for their match at least 30 minutes before the scheduled start time.
   

Fighters who violate competition rules, withdraw, or are disqualified will not receive any gifts or prizes from GMA.

GMA reserves the right to conduct medical checks within 3 days before and after the match. Any fighter found to have used banned substances will be disqualified.

 

​

VII. PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS

 

RULES BRIEFING

 

To understand the full regulations and rules, all fighters must attend the mandatory rules briefing held at 10:00 AM after the official weigh-in on the day before the event.

Fighters may be accompanied by a caregiver or coach.

Fighters who are absent will be disqualified.

​

RING FAMILIARIZATION

 

Fighters will be given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the competition ring on weigh-in day.

​

Time slots are as follows:

• Blue Corner: 7:30 PM – 8:15 PM

• Red Corner: 8:30 PM – 9:15 PM
   

MEDIA & PROMOTION

 

GMA may request fighters to attend photo sessions, filming, interviews, or media appearances to promote the fighters to the audience. If required, fighters must participate or face a 5% prize deduction for each missed session ./.