Revised December 24, 2003.

Article 1

The fighters shall wear open finger gloves provided by the promoter.

Article 2

Fighters may wear Gi, kneepads, elbow-pads, shin guards, tape and ankle supporter. However, such supporters must be approved at the rules meeting and must be approved by official rules committee on the event day to ensure that such supporters are the ones previously approved.
A mouthpiece and a foul cup usage is mandatory for all fighters. A fighter may wear tape and bandages with the following criteria; one round of bandages and two rounds of tape shall be worn on their knuckles. There are no restrictions for using tape/bandage on other areas of the hands.

Article 3

No substance such as oil, Vaseline, massaging cream, hair products or anything of this sort shall be applied. A fighter with these substances shall be disqualified immediately.

Article 4

Kicking the opponent with wrestling shoes shall be allowed. Provided that the shoes are approved safe at the rules meeting by the rules committee. The judges will check to ensure they are the same as previously approved on the event day. Additionally, the shoes must be covered with tape.

Article 5

The ring shall be 7m by 7m-square shape, approved by the promoter.

Article 6

A fight is five (5) minutes x three (3) round format, with no extra round. The interval between each round shall be two (2) minutes.

Article 7

The winner shall be determined by one of the following:

• IPPON

  When give up, submission and/or forfeiture is expressed either verbally or by tapping more than three times on the mat or the opponent's body.
  
  

• TKO (Technical Knockout)

  
  Referee Stop
  When a fighter is remarkably superior to the other and the referee judges the inferior is in danger if the fight continues.
  
  Doctor Stop
  When a fighter is injured by the opponent's legal attack and if a ringside doctor determines that the injured fighter is incapable of continuing the fight, the injured fighter loses the fight. However, if the injury is caused by the illegal action of the opponent, the opponent loses the fight. For the ringside doctor's examination, a sub-referee takes the fighter's primary corner man to the neutral corner to inform him/her with the doctor's diagnosis and instruction. When the doctor determines the doctor stop is appropriate and required, the sub-referee explains diagnosis and fighter's condition to the primary corner man.
  
  Renunciation
  The fighter's corner men may stop the fight by “throwing in the towel”. In case the referee fails to see it, the judges may stop the fight.
  
  
• Judgment
  The three (3) judges shall determine the winner based on the following elements:
  
  
  1. An effective and an accurate attack that leads to KO or the opponent's giving up.
  2. Extent of damage inflicted on the opponent.
  3. Techniques & Domination in the ground position.
  4. Take down & Defensive technique.
  5. Degree of aggressiveness.
  6. Weight difference (when the difference is more than 10kg between the fighters).
  
  Determination shall be in the above priority. The judges declare the superior fighter rather than awarding points. The winner must be determined after the third round is over; a "must system" is applied and there will be no draw decisions.
  
  
• Disqualification
  The referee shall pronounce a caution (showing him a yellow card) when a fighter executes a foul technique and/or fails to follow the referee's instruction during a fight. Three (3) cautions during a fight shall be grounds for disqualification. However, the referee may immediately disqualify a fighter (showing him a red card) if the referee finds that a foul technique was inflicted intentionally or with malicious intent.
  
  
• No contest
  When illegal action disqualifies both fighters, or the judges and/or K-1 decide to cease the fight because of an accident, or an accident which happened in the first (1) round causes either or both fighter(s) to be unable to continue to the next round, the fight shall be called No Contest. However, in case the accident occurs during or after the second round, a decision on the winner shall be made according to the fighters' performance during the first round and the time preceding the fight's cessation.
  

Article 8

The following actions are defined as illegal attacks . A fighter who executes a foul technique shall be penalized a caution (yellow card). A third caution (red card) during the fight shall disqualify the fighter. The fighter must return 10% of his fighting fee to K-1 per caution. Moreover, a fighter must return the full amount of his fight fee to K-1 when disqualified.

1. Biting.
2. Attacking the membrane (eye, nose or mouth).
3. Head butting.
4. Attacking the groin.
5. Pulling hair, ear or nose.
6. Direct attacks to the throat with fingers/hands, such as attacking or grabbing the throat.
7. Striking the back of the head, the spine, and/or the medulla of his opponent. (The back of the head is the centerline of the head; the side of the head and the area around the ears are not considered as the back of the head).
8. Elbow attack s to the head or the face of the opponent.
9. Attacking fingers (grabbing three or less fingers is not allowed)
10. Intentionally grabbing anything the opponent is wearing (not including Gi) (i.e. gloves, fighting costume, supporters, etc)
11. Grabbing the ropes and/or hanging the limbs of the body, hand(s), arm(s), leg(s) or feet, over the rope.
12. Escaping from the ring during the course of a fight.
13. Throwing the opponent outside the ring.
14. Attacks not intended to damage the opponent, or that induce a deadlock/stalemate.
15. Exhibition of ill-mannered behavior or a malicious attitude as a professional fighter.
    
    

Article 9

Kicks to the body, legs, face, head are allowed when the opponent is in a 4-point position. However, when the weight difference is more than 10kg, the mentioned attacks are legal only when the lighter fighter has approved them.

Article 10

In the event that a fighter is damaged severely by the opponent's illegal action, the referee and the doctor shall decide if the fight can resume after the damaged fighter recovers to fight. However, if the referee and doctor judge the fighter is not capable of continuing the fight, the opponent who committed the illegal action shall be disqualified according to Article 7 * TKO, Doctor Stop.

Article 11

In case the fight is stopped due to a fighter falling out of the ring or a fighter about to fall out of the ring, foul techniques, or for a doctor check, the fight shall be resumed in the center of the ring with both fighters standing.

Article 12

The referee may call a break under the following conditions:

• When both fighters are in a standing position and the fight is deadlocked without any effective action.
• When one fighter lies on the ground with his face up and the other takes a standing position and there is no action going on and the fight is deadlocked.
  

Article 13

The fighters and the corner men shall abide by any judgment or instructions made by the referee. If fighters and/or corner men have any objection to the judgment of the referee, the objection must be made in writing addressed to the promoter within two (2) weeks after the event. Should this Article be violated, 10% of the fight fee must be returned to promoter as a penalty.

Article 14

Fighters may have up to three (3) corner men who are not allowed to leave their own corner during the fight. Corner men are not allowed to have any physical contact with the fighters or the referees under any circumstances during the fight. If any of the corner men violates this Article, the fighter must return 10% of the fight fee to the promoter as a penalty.

Article 15

It is mandatory for all fighters to receive a doctor check before the fight at the venue.