Pilot ‘Stand-Up MMA’ at the request of promoters

The VA has given permission for a pilot with ‘Stand-Up MMA’. This is a variant of mixed martial arts in which the fight is in principle kept standing.

Promoters have indicated that they want to organise ‘Stand-Up MMA’ bouts in the Netherlands. In this variant, ground fighting is limited to a single action and a maximum duration of 15 seconds within which that action may take place. If the action has not been completed after 15 seconds, the participants must resume the fight standing. Promoters believe that this variant is attractive to the Dutch public, which has a strong preference for standing fights over fighting on the ground.

Conditions
Because this is a new variant with which there is little experience, also internationally, the VA wants a pilot to be used to examine the consequences for the safety of the athletes. After consulting the Medical Committee (Medische Commissie), the VA has made a number of agreements on the conditions under which a pilot may be carried out. During this pilot, the safety consequences of this new variant will be examined in a number of bouts. One of the conditions is that only experienced A- and B-class kickboxers and muay thai boxers and MMA professionals may take part in the bouts. In bouts between B-class kickboxers and muay thai boxers, elbow strikes are not permitted. In addition, the uniform rules for professional mma in the Netherlands apply.

Outcomes
The pilot consists of a series of bouts followed by an evaluation with the promoters, the VA and the Nederlandse Vechtsportbond (Dutch Martial Arts Federation). The outcomes of the evaluation will be presented to the boards of the VA and the Nederlandse Vechtsportbond, after which it will be assessed whether, and if so in what form, this variant of mma can be practised on a structural basis in the Netherlands.

If the pilot does not give rise to objections, this mma variant can be practised in the Netherlands as a separate branch of sport. Other promoters will then of course also be free to organise bouts in this variant.