ONE Fighting Championship has eliminated its "open-attack" rule for soccer kicks, officials today announced.
The decision came a few days after the often-confusing rule resulted in an Andrei Arlovski vs. Tim Sylvia heavyweight contest being declared a no-contest this past weekend at ONE FC 5.
Instead, soccer kicks are now legal at all times, and the referee no longer has to distinguish when they're an option.
"Effective immediately, ONE FC has adopted full PRIDE rules for soccer kicks," the organization announced via Twitter.
The organization's next event, "ONE FC 6: Rise of the Kings," will be the first to feature the rules change. The event takes place Oct. 6 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore, and it's again expected to be available as an online pay-per-view.
The open-attack rule allowed soccer kicks to the head of a downed opponent, but only after the referee prompted a fighter that it was OK to do so. That rule first created some brutal finishes (Zorobabel Moreira over Roger Huerta at ONE FC 4 and Phil Baroni over Rodrigo Ribeiro at ONE FC 5) and then a confusing one. This past Friday at ONE FC 5, Arlovski tagged fellow ex-UFC champ Sylvia with a pair of soccer kicks to force a stoppage, but the referee hadn't declared an open attack, and the bout ultimately was ruled a no-contest.
This latest rules change won't do anything to curb the sometimes-violent nature of the blows, but it should create less confusion on the fighters' part.
Soccer kicks, though legal and popular with the now-defunct PRIDE organization, aren't permitted with the Unified Rules of MMA, which most North American promotions adhere by.
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