3 MMA rules that need to change, 1 we hope never does

Mixed martial arts has done a great job of putting safety rules and protocols in place despite its young age compared to other sports.

While fighting has always been something humans have done, the modern-day, commission-sanctioned version, primarily led by the PRIDE FC and then by the UFC, is more or less at its nascent stage. However, MMA has still evolved over the years, with rule changes aimed at improving fighter safety and fairness of judgment.

A 2001 meeting held by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board attempted to unify the many rules and regulations followed by the different MMA organizations and propose a uniform set to govern the sport. It became the de facto standard for MMA events across North America and was later adopted as the 'Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts' at the 2009 annual meeting of the Association of Boxing Commissions.

However, in the current day and age, some of those rules could use some tweaking to better align with the nature of the sport.

Here are the three MMA rules that need to change, followed by one we certainly hope never does: