Wyoming Legalizes Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting

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ErikMagraken

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Apr 9, 2015
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Original article here - Breaking – Wyoming Legalizes Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting
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In what I believe is the first US State Athletic Commission to legalize the sport of bare knuckle boxing, the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission has just published rules for “Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting”.

The following press release was published on their site:



The rules allow contestants to wear gauze and tape but this is not mandatory with true bare knuckle fighting being an option.

The regulations provide the following definition for the newly minted sport –

Bare Knuckle Fighting combines and incorporates the following recognized martial arts: boxing, Muay Thai, Greco-Roman wrestling, karate, judo and folkstyle and freestyle wrestling. Bare Knuckle Fighting includes skill sets such as clinching, holding, hitting striking with a closed fist, punching, and controlling the head, neck, arms, and upper body of opponents.

The following list of fouls for the sport were published:

(a) hitting the opponent below the belt;

(b) Hitting an opponent who is down or is getting up after being down;

(c) Holding the opponent with one hand and hitting the opponent with the other hand;

(d) Holding the opponent or deliberately maintaining a clinch;

(e) Wrestling or kicking the opponent;

(f) Putting a finger into any orifice of the opponent or into any cut or laceration on an opponent, including fishhooking;

(g) Pulling the opponents hair;

(h) Manipulating the opponents fingers;

(i) Striking an opponent who is helpless as the result of blows but is supported by the ropes and does not fall;

(j) Butting the opponent with the head, shoulder, knee or elbow

(k) Hitting the opponent with the back of the hand, butt of the hand, with the wrist or the elbow, or with pivot blows or spinning back fists;

(l) Going down without being hit;

(m) Striking the opponent’s body over the kidneys;

(n) Hitting the opponent on the back of the head or neck;

(o) Gouging the opponent’s eye in any manner

(p) Using abusive language in the ring;

(q) Hitting during a break, which is signaled by the referee’s command or physical act to separate the two contestants

(r) Hitting the opponent after the bell has sounded, ending the round;

(s) Using the ropes to gain an advantage over the opponent;

(t) Pushing the opponent around the ring or into the ropes

(u) Timidiy, including intentionally spitting out the mouthpiece

(v) Biting the opponent; and

(w)Engaging in any other action not described in this subsection that is deemed an intentional foul by the referee on the basis that the action poses a danger to the safety of either contestant, impedes fair play, or is unsportsmanlike.

The full rules can be found here.

Although this decision will likely draw criticism from many it is worth keeping in mind that, when it comes to the reality of brain trauma and fighting, bare knuckle boxing may in fact be a safer option.
 

Rambo John J

Eats things that would make a Billy Goat Puke
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I would love to watch...an expert in that would have some serious tricks I reckon
 

HEATH VON DOOM

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Oct 21, 2015
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The roughnecks do that anyway on a Friday or Saturday night, the state just figured out how to monetize it.
 

Wild

Zi Nazi
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Dec 31, 2014
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Good. I wish MMA would go away from gloves. I think statistics prove there would be less head and hand injuries.
 

Γαλάνης

The Wallabee Champ
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Jan 18, 2015
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Good. I wish MMA would go away from gloves. I think statistics prove there would be less head and hand injuries.
While I agree, I think it'd lead to more grappling and way less exciting stand up exchanges

It'd be more pure but we'd be robbed of some epic KOs
 

Haulport

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Good. I wish MMA would go away from gloves. I think statistics prove there would be less head and hand injuries.
I have long thought it should at least be an option not to use them for grapplers.
 

Haulport

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My God...is it possible this could lead to PRIDE Rules in the US???????
 

kneeblock

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Apr 18, 2015
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I think it's easy to forget how terrible NHB gloveless fighting was because of the nostalgia we have for it, but it was mostly full of underskilled club fighters. When it was gloveless, people who had any striking ability had to decrease their volume because of the pain of punching and ground and pound was usually a fight ender for the person doing it.
 

Mix6APlix

The more you cry, the less I care.
Oct 20, 2015
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I think it's easy to forget how terrible NHB gloveless fighting was because of the nostalgia we have for it, but it was mostly full of underskilled club fighters. When it was gloveless, people who had any striking ability had to decrease their volume because of the pain of punching and ground and pound was usually a fight ender for the person doing it.
Gloves should be optional to benefit fighters who are primarily grapplers.
 

Ted Williams' head

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Sep 23, 2015
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I think it's easy to forget how terrible NHB gloveless fighting was because of the nostalgia we have for it, but it was mostly full of underskilled club fighters. When it was gloveless, people who had any striking ability had to decrease their volume because of the pain of punching and ground and pound was usually a fight ender for the person doing it.
This.

Give me skilled strikers with gloves over brawlers without any day!
 

ErikMagraken

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Apr 9, 2015
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The question of whether the sport is viewer friendly / promotable is separate from whether it should be legal / regulated. The first is a question of market forces and personal taste. Fair enough if you don't like it. The second is a question of health and safety. If you accept the premise that Traumatic Brain Injury / CTE are the biggest dangers fighters face bare knuckle is a safer option trading this off for more broken hands / facial bones.

It takes a different skill set to excel at BKB. I for one enjoy it. Not drunken brawling but watching someone like Bobby Gunn work his craft is good watching.
 

kneeblock

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Apr 18, 2015
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The question of whether the sport is viewer friendly / promotable is separate from whether it should be legal / regulated. The first is a question of market forces and personal taste. Fair enough if you don't like it. The second is a question of health and safety. If you accept the premise that Traumatic Brain Injury / CTE are the biggest dangers fighters face bare knuckle is a safer option trading this off for more broken hands / facial bones.

It takes a different skill set to excel at BKB. I for one enjoy it. Not drunken brawling but watching someone like Bobby Gunn work his craft is good watching.
I think we're kidding ourselves if we think gloveless fighting increases safety. There isn't enough evidence on CTE prevalence in MMA, but it could very well end up being an issue based on projections about concussion prevalence as a predictor for long term consequences and the Parsons case as an exemplar. In truth, we'll all as fans someday have to reckon with the fact that these young men and women are likely risking their brains and bodies in ways that will be deeply destructive. Maybe at that point we'll see a return to a Pancrase style of fighting or a switch to those weird hand to hand bodysuits or virtual reality.
 

Haulport

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I think it's easy to forget how terrible NHB gloveless fighting was because of the nostalgia we have for it, but it was mostly full of underskilled club fighters. When it was gloveless, people who had any striking ability had to decrease their volume because of the pain of punching and ground and pound was usually a fight ender for the person doing it.
Imo it just made it more realistic. Guys like Tank could punch people all nighy long with no broken hands and other guys needed to use elbows instead. Coleman could gnp with no broken hands.
 

kneeblock

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Apr 18, 2015
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Imo it just made it more realistic. Guys like Tank could punch people all nighy long with no broken hands and other guys needed to use elbows instead. Coleman could gnp with no broken hands.
Coleman never fought without gloves.
 

Haulport

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Jan 17, 2015
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I think it's easy to forget how terrible NHB gloveless fighting was because of the nostalgia we have for it, but it was mostly full of underskilled club fighters. When it was gloveless, people who had any striking ability had to decrease their volume because of the pain of punching and ground and pound was usually a fight ender for the person doing it.
It is not natural to throw ur hands at someone as hard as possible as often as boxers do. Wrapped hands and gloves are weapons. No gloves would bring back hammer fists and good elbowing technique imo...

It would also call for other aspects of MMA instead of the shitty wrestlebox it has devolved into...