Rules
PRIDE's rules differ between main PRIDE events and Bushido events. It was announced on November 29, 2006 that Bushido events would be discontinued, though it is unclear if the Bushido-specific rules will be scrapped or will continue to be used for lightweight and welterweight bouts.
Match length
PRIDE matches consist of three rounds; the first lasting ten minutes, and the second and third lasting five. Intermissions between each round are two minutes in length.
If two rounds of a Grand Prix take place on the same night, Grand Prix bouts will consist of two rounds; the first lasting ten minutes and the second lasting five. Intermissions between each round remain two minutes in length.
Weight classes
- PRIDE Fighting Championships does not divide their fighters based on weight divisions per se. A fighter may be booked to fight an opponent of any weight. Weight divisions are used for championship bouts and for Grands Prix to decide a best fighter at a given weight class.
- Heavyweight (more than or equal to 93 kg / 205 lb)
- Middleweight (less than 93 kg / 205 lb)
- Welterweight (less than 83 kg / 183 lb)
- Lightweight (less than 73 kg / 160 lb)
Ring
PRIDE uses a five-roped square ring with sides 7m in length, which is approximately 23'.
Attire
PRIDE allows fighters latitude in their choice of attire but open finger gloves, a mouthguard and a protective cup are mandatory. It is within a fighter's discretion to tape parts of their body or to wear a gi top, gi pants, wrestling shoes, kneepads, elbow pads, or ankle supports, though each is checked by the referee before the fight.
Victory
Matches are won via:
- Submission
- A fighter taps either his opponent or the mat three times.
- A fighter may also verbally submit.
- Knockout
- A fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
- Technical Knockout
- Referee Stoppage (the referee stops the match after seeing that one fighter is completely dominant to the point of endangering his opponent).
- Doctor Stoppage (the referee stops the match in the event that a fighter is injured via a legal blow and the ring doctor determines that he cannot continue).
- Forfeited Match (a fighter's corner throws in the towel).
- Decision
- If the match reaches its time limit then the outcome of the bout is determined by the three judges. The fight is scored in its entirety and not round-by-round. After the third round, each judge must decide a winner. Matches cannot end in a draw. A decision is made according to the following criteria in this order of priority:
- the effort made to finish the fight via KO or submission,
- damage given to the opponent,
- standing combinations and ground control,
- takedowns and takedown defense,
- aggressiveness, and
- weight (in the case that the weight difference is 10 kg/22 lb or more).
- If a fight is stopped on advice of the ring doctor after an accidental but illegal action, i.e. a clash of heads, and the contest is in its second or third round, the match will be decided by the judges using the same criteria.
- Disqualification
- A "warning" will be given in the form of a yellow card or a green card (The green card gives a 10% deduction of a fighters purse) when a fighter commits an illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification.
- A fighter will be disqualified if a match is stopped on advice of the ring doctor as a result of his deliberate illegal actions.
- The application of oil, ointment, spray, Vaseline, massaging cream, hair cream, or any other substances to any part of the fighter's body before and during the fights is prohibited. The discovery of any of these substances will result in a disqualification.
- No Contest
- In the event that both sides commit a violation of the rules, the bout will be declared a "No Contest."
- If a fight is stopped on advice of the ring doctor after an accidental but illegal action, i.e. a clash of heads, the match will be declared a no contest in the first round only.
Fouls
PRIDE Fighting Championships considers the following to be fouls:
- Head butting.
- Eye gouging.
- Hair pulling.
- Biting.
- Fish hooking.
- Any attacks to the groin
- Strikes to the back of the head, which includes the occipital region and the spine. The sides of the head and the area around the ears are not considered to be the back of the head. (see Rabbit punch)
- Small joint manipulation (control of four or more fingers/toes is necessary).
- Elbow strikes to the head and face.
- Intentionally throwing your opponent out of the ring.
- Running out of the ring.
- Purposely holding the ropes. Fighters cannot purposely hang an arm or leg on the ropes and it will result in an immediate warning.
In the event that a fighter is injured by illegal actions, then at the discretion of the referee and ring doctor, the round will attempt to be resumed after enough time has been given to the fighter to recover. If the match cannot be continued due to the severity of the injury then the fighter who perpetrated the action will be disqualified.
Match conduct
- If both fighters are on the verge of falling out of the ring or become entangled in the ropes, the referee will stop the action. The fighters must immediately stop their movements and will then be repositioned in the center of the ring in the same position. Once they are comfortably repositioned, they resume at the referee's instruction.
- Referees can give a fighter color cards for lack of activity. Every card, including warning cards, are a 10% deduction of a fighter's purse. This method prevents slow action and mobilizes the fighters.
Matches between fighters of different weight classes
PRIDE makes special provision for fights between fighters of different weight classes or fighters with a large weight difference in the same weight class. The lighter fighter is given a choice on whether to permit knees or kicks to the face when in the "four points" position in the following cases:
- If both fighters are in the middleweight class and there is a weight difference of 10 kg/22 lb or more between the fighters.
- If the match is between a middleweight and heavyweight and there is a weight difference of 10 kg/22 lb or more between the fighters.
- If both fighters are in the heavyweight class and there is a weight difference of 15 kg/33 lb or more between the fighters.
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