The Fight Club is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

 (MMA) promotion based in Edmonton, Alberta. TFC currently fights at the Shaw Conference Centre

Shaw Conference Centre

The Shaw Conference Centre, colloquially called The SHAW, or SCC is a meeting, entertainment, and convention venue located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...

.

Rounds

Every round in TFC competition is five minutes in duration. Title matches have five such rounds, and non-title matches have three. There is a one-minute rest period between rounds.

Attire

All competitors must fight in approved shorts, without shoes. Shirts, gis

Keikogi

or dōgi is a uniform for training, used in martial arts derived from Japan, or budō. . The prototype for the modern keikogi emerged in the late 19th century. The keikogi was developed by judo founder Kano Jigoro...

 or long pants (including gi pants) are not allowed. Fighters must use approved light-weight open-fingered gloves, that include at least 1" of padding around the knuckles, (110 to 170 g / 4 to 6 ounces) that allow fingers to grab. These gloves enable fighters to punch with less risk of an injured or broken hand, while retaining the ability to grab and grapple.

Match outcome

Matches usually end via:

• Submission
  Submission (combat sport term)
  A submission is a combat sports term for yielding to the opponent, and hence resulting in an immediate defeat...
  
  : a fighter clearly taps on the mat or his opponent or verbally submits.
• Technical Submission: A technical submission is achieved when the referee stops a fight due to an injury resulting from a submission hold or due to a fighter going unconscious from a choke.
• Knockout
  Knockout
  A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
  
  : a fighter falls from a legal blow and is either unconscious or unable to immediately continue.
• Technical Knockout (TKO): If a fighter cannot continue, the fight is ended as a technical knockout. Technical knockouts can be classified into three categories:
  • referee stoppage: (the referee determines a fighter cannot "intelligently defend" himself; if warnings to the fighter to improve his position or defense go unanswered—generally, two warnings are given, about 5 seconds apart)
  • doctor stoppage (a ringside doctor due to injury or impending injury, as when blood flows into the eyes and blinds a fighter)
  • corner stoppage (a fighter's own corner-man signals defeat for their own fighter)
• Judges' Decision: Depending on scoring, a match may end as:
  • unanimous decision (all three judges score a win for fighter A)
  • majority decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a draw)
  • split decision (two judges score a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B)
  • unanimous draw (all three judges score a draw)
  • majority draw (two judges score a draw, one judge scoring a win)
  • split draw (one judge scores a win for fighter A, one judge scores a win for fighter B, and one judge scores a draw)

Note: In the event of a draw, it is not necessary that the fighters' total points be equal. However, in a unanimous or split draw, each fighter does score an equal number of win judgments from the three judges (0 or 1, respectively).

A fight can also end in a technical decision, disqualification, forfeit, technical draw, or no contest. The latter two outcomes have no winners.

Judging criteria

The ten-point must system

10-point must system

The 10-point must system is a method of scoring a fighting match .Under the system, the judges must give the winner of a round 10 points, and the loser 9 points or fewer...

 is in effect for all fights; three judges score each round and the winner of each receives ten points, the loser nine points or fewer. If the round is even, both fighters receive ten points.

Fouls

The Nevada State Athletic Commission currently lists the following as fouls:

1. Butting
   Headbutt
   A headbutt is a strike with the head, typically involving the use of robust parts of the cranium as areas of impact. Effective headbutting revolves around striking a sensitive area with a less sensitive area, such as striking the nose of an opponent with the forehead...
   
    with the head
2. Eye gouging
   Eye-gouging
   Eye-gouging is the act of pressing or tearing the eye using the fingers, other bodyparts, or instruments. Eye-gouging involves a very high risk of eye injury, such as permanent eye loss. It is disallowed in combat sports, but some self-defense systems teach it...
   
    of any kind
3. Biting
4. Hair pulling
5. Fish hooking
   Fish-hooking
   Fish-hooking is the act of inserting a finger or fingers of one or both hands into the mouth, nostrils or other orifices of a person, and pulling away from the centerline of the body; in most cases with the intention of pulling, tearing, or lacerating the surrounding tissue. Forceful fish-hooking...
   
   
6. Groin attack
   Groin attack
   A groin attack is an attempt to cause pain to the groin area of one's opponent. The technique can be quickly debilitating, due to the large number of sensitive nerve endings in the penis and testicles of males, as well as the highly innervated vulva of females. A sufficiently powerful blow may...
   
   s of any kind
7. Putting a finger into any orifice or into any cut or laceration on an opponent. (see Gouging)
8. Small joint manipulation
   Small joint manipulation
   Small joint manipulation, in grappling, refers to twisting, pulling or bending fingers or toes to cause joint locks in the various joints in those appendages...
   
   
9. Striking to the spine or the back of the head (see Rabbit punch
   Rabbit punch
   A rabbit punch is a blow to the neck or to the base of the skull. It is considered especially dangerous because it can damage the cervical vertebrae and subsequently the spinal cord, which may lead to serious spinal cord injury or even death.-Boxing:...
   
   )
10. Striking downward using the point of the elbow (see Elbow (strike)
    Elbow (strike)
    An elbow strike is a strike with the point of the elbow, the part of the forearm nearest to the elbow, or the part of the upper arm nearest to the elbow...
    
    )
11. Throat
    Throat
    In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
    
     strikes of any kind, including, without limitation, grabbing the trachea
    Vertebrate trachea
    In tetrapod anatomy the trachea, or windpipe, is a tube that connects the pharynx or larynx to the lungs, allowing the passage of air. It is lined with pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium cells with goblet cells that produce mucus...
    
    
12. Clawing, pinching or twisting the flesh
13. Grabbing the clavicle
    Clavicle
    In human anatomy, the clavicle or collar bone is a long bone of short length that serves as a strut between the scapula and the sternum. It is the only long bone in body that lies horizontally...
    
    
14. Kicking
    Soccer kick
    A soccer kick is a reference to a kick that is similar to kicks used in association football. For short distanced passes, the instep or the outside of the foot can be used...
    
     the head of a grounded opponent
15. Kneeing
    Knee (strike)
    A knee strike is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent...
    
     the head of a grounded opponent
16. Stomping
    Stomp (strike)
    A stomp is a downwards strike with the heel of the foot from the stand-up position, and is usually directed at the head or body of a downed opponent...
    
     a grounded opponent
17. Kick
    Kick
    In combat sports and hand-to-hand combat, a kick is a physical strike using the foot, leg, or knee . This type of attack is used frequently, especially in stand-up fighting...
    
    ing to the kidney with the heel
18. Spiking an opponent to the canvas on his head or neck. (see piledriver
    Piledriver (professional wrestling)
    A piledriver is a professional wrestling driver move in which the wrestler grabs his opponent, turns him upside-down, and drops into a sitting or kneeling position, driving the opponent head-first into the mat. The most common piledrivers are the basic belly-to-back, or Texas piledriver, and the...
    
    )
19. Throwing
    Throw (grappling)
    A throw is a martial arts term for a grappling technique that involves off-balancing or lifting an opponent, and tossing them to the ground in Japanese martial arts referred to as nage-waza, 投げ技, "throwing technique"...
    
     an opponent out of the ring or fenced area
20. Holding the shorts or gloves of an opponent
21. Spitting at an opponent
22. Engaging in unsportsmanlike conduct that causes an injury to an opponent
23. Holding the ropes or the fence
24. Using abusive language in the ring or fenced area
25. Attacking an opponent on or during the break
26. Attacking an opponent who is under the care of the referee
27. Attacking an opponent after the bell (horn) has sounded the end of a round
28. Flagrantly disregarding the instructions of the referee
29. Timidity, including, without limitation, avoiding contact with an opponent, intentionally or consistently dropping the mouthpiece or faking an injury
30. Interference by the corner
31. Throwing in the towel during competition

When a foul is charged, the referee in their discretion may deduct one or more points as a penalty. If a foul incapacitates a fighter, then the match may end in a disqualification if the foul was intentional, or a no contest if unintentional. If a foul causes a fighter to be unable to continue later in the bout, it ends with a technical decision win to the injured fighter if the injured fighter is ahead on points, otherwise it is a technical draw.

Match conduct

• After a verbal warning the referee can stop the fighters and stand them up if they reach a stalemate on the ground (where neither are in a dominant position
  Grappling position
  A grappling position refers to the positioning and holds of combatants engaged in grappling. Combatants are said to be in a neutral position if neither is in a more favourable position. If one party has a clear advantage such as in the mount they are said to be in a "dominant position"...
  
   or working towards one).
• If the referee pauses the match, it is resumed with the fighters in their prior positions.
• Grabbing the ring ropes brings a verbal warning, followed by an attempt by the referee to release the grab by pulling on the grabbing hand. If that attempt fails or if the fighter continues to hold the ropes, the referee may charge a foul.

Events

TFC: 1st Blood at the Shaw Conference Centre on December 28, 2007

• Chuck Pelc def. Lee Berger by TKO 1:05 Round 1 (Unanswered blows)
• Chase Holthe def. Phil Wark by SUB 1:05 Round 1 (Triangle Choke)
• Middleweight Bout: Marcus Hicks
  Marcus Hicks
  Marcus Dewayne Hicks is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights as a lightweight.-World Extreme Cagefighting:...
  
   def. Mason Hunter by TKO :28 Round 1 (Unanswered blows)
• Jay Jenkins def. Brad Geiger by KO 4:18 Round 1
• Shaun Krysa def. Richard Menard by SUB 1:30 Round 1 tap out (unanswered blows)
• Tim Thurston def. Curtis Demarce by KO :34 Round 3
• Chris Ade def. Adam Thomas
  Adam Thomas
  For the Welsh rugby union player see Adam Thomas Adam Thomas is a British actor, currently starring in British ITV soap opera Emmerdale as Adam Barton well known for his role in BBC drama Waterloo Road as Donte Charles-Career:It was in 2002, at the age of 15, that Adam started his television career...
  
   by SUB 4:58 Round 2 (Arm bar)
• Canadian Welterweight MMA Title: Victor Bachmann def. Stjepan Vujnovic by TKO :49 Round 1 (Unanswered blows)
• Main Event: Heavyweight Bout: Nick Penner def. Eric Esch
  Eric Esch
  Eric Scott Esch is an American heavyweight boxer, kick-boxer, professional wrestler, and mixed martial artist commonly referred to as Butterbean....
  
   by SUB 2:28 Round 1 tap out (unanswered blows)

TFC 2: Penner vs. Kalmakoff at the Edmonton Event Centre on March 7, 2008.

• Phil Wark def. Tony Bibby by unanimous decision
• Curtis Demarce def. Tim Brown by submission (ARM BAR) 1:17 Rd 1
• Trevor Daley
  Trevor Daley
  Trevor Daley is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman with the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
  
   def. Kevin Logan by TKO (UNANSWERED BLOWS) 1:39 Rd 1
• Larry Lyttle def. Richard Menard  by TKO (UNANSWERED BLOWS) 2:44 Rd 1
• James McCutcheon def. Cody Graber by submission (ARM BAR) 3:57 Rd 1
• Tim Smith def. Dan Walders by submission (REAR CHOKE) 1:53 Rd 2
• Jason Alexander
  Jason Alexander
  Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
  
   def. Kevin Dolan by TKO (CUTS) 1:01 Rd 1
• Markhaile Wedderburn def. Neil Berry by submission (REAR CHOKE) 4:50 Rd 1
• Main Event: Heavyweight Bout: Nick Penner def. Bobby Kalmakoff by TKO (UNANSWERED BLOWS) 1:26 Rd 1

TFC 3: This Means War on May 31st, 2008 in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

• Lightweight Bout: Dave Henry def. Brent Haley by SUB 1:47 Round 1 (Rear Naked Choke)
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Bill Mesi def. Bill Mesi by KO .34 Round 2 (Body shot)
• Light Heavyweight Bout: Travis Whaling def. Allen Hope by TKO .54 Round 1 Tap (Unanswered Blows)
• Welterweight Bout: Kevin Dolan def. Jase Nibourg by TKO .38 Round 1 (Unanswered Blows)
• Welterweight Bout: James McCutcheon def. Nolan Clark
  Nolan Clark
  Nolan Clark is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the .He started his career at the , representing them in the Vodacom Cup in 2009. He then joined for the 2009 Currie Cup season, but made only a handful of appearances before joining the for the remainder of the 2009...
  
   by TKO 1:14 Round 2 (Unanswered Blows)
• Middleweight Bout: Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter. Patrick is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in their welterweight division.-Biography:...
  
   def. Dan Chambers by SUB .51 Round 1 (North South Choke)
• Middleweight Bout: Solomon Hutcherson
  Solomon Hutcherson
  Solomon Hutcherson is an american mixed martial arts fighter. He competes in the Middleweight division.-The Ultimate Fighter:During The Ultimate Fighter 3 Hutcherson trained under Ken Shamrock's team...
  
   def. Marcus Hicks
  Marcus Hicks
  Marcus Dewayne Hicks is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights as a lightweight.-World Extreme Cagefighting:...
  
   by TKO 1:29 Round 1 (Unanswered Blows)
• MUAY THAI MAIN EVENT: Welterweight Bout: Levi Kump def. Sokhim Or by 5 Rd Split Decision (Kickboxing)
• TFC MMA MAIN EVENT: Heavyweight Bout: Nick Penner def. Jared Kilkenny by SUB 4:13 Round 2 (Kimora)

TFC 4: Retribution on August 29, 2008 in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

• Sean McKinnon def. Jordan Lannon, Round 3 (Decision)
• Hal Kreisel def. John Hamm
  John Hamm
  John Frederick Hamm, is a Canadian physician and politician and was the 25th Premier of Nova Scotia, Canada.Hamm, a graduate of the University of King's College and Dalhousie University, was a family doctor in his hometown of Stellarton, Nova Scotia, and the president of the Nova Scotia Medical...
  
   Round 3 (Decision)
• KEIJIRO NODA vs BEN ARLOW ??
• Welterweight Bout: Levi Kump def. John Laing Round 3 (Decision)
• Tim "Shady" Smith def. Kevin Dolan by SUB 4:41 Round 1, (Armbar)
• Brandon Carlick def. Dave Henry by KO, 1:47 Round 1
• Chris Ade def. Kyle Crowell by SUB 1:42 Round 1 (ArmBar)
• TFC K-1 MAIN EVENT: Heavyweight Bout: Nick Penner def. Sandy Pembroke Round 3 (Decision)

TFC 5: Armageddon on December 5, 2008 at the Shaw Conference Centre in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

• Mark Sawka  vs. Pierre Dumont
  Pierre Dumont
  Pierre Dumont, born around 1650, brother-in-law of Antoine Coypel.In 1709 he won first prize in sculpture for David pardonnant à Abigaïl.His grandson François Dumont was also a sculptor....
  
  
• Jason Gorny vs. Todd Mabbott
• Brent Haley vs. Justin Carpenter
• Jackie Mikalsky vs. Megan Williams
• Bill Mesi vs. Ben Borger
• Chris Ade vs. Mike Bell
• James McCutcheon vs. Jordon McKay
• Nick Penner vs. Luc Desautels
• Levi Kump vs. Aaron Castellvi
• Canadian Welterweight MMA Title: Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter. Patrick is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in their welterweight division.-Biography:...
  
   def. Victor Bachman to become the new Canadian Welterweight Champion

TFC 6: Domination on March 20, 2009 in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Alberta

Alberta

Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

• David Bodrug def. Tyson Russell in Round 2, (Unanswered Blows)
• Mike Froese def. Darrell Okeynan in Round 1, (Guillotine From Mount)
• Gina Mazany def. Jackie Mikalsky in ROUND 1, (Unanswered Blows)
• Jason Gorny def. Sean Merkl in Round 1, (Unanswered Blows)
• Jorge Ravanal def. Mike Bell in Round 2, (Rear Naked Choke)
• Yukon Jack
  Yukon Jack
  Yukon Jack is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Alpha Flight vol. 3 #1 and was created by Scott Lobdell & Clayton Henry.-Fictional character biography:...
  
   def. Paul Brown
  Paul Brown
  Paul Eugene Brown was a coach in American football and a major figure in the development of the National Football League...
  
   in Round 1, (Rear Naked Choke)
• TFC Canadian MMA Welterweight Championship: Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick
  Claude Patrick is a Canadian mixed martial arts fighter. Patrick is currently signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, fighting in their welterweight division.-Biography:...
  
   def. Dave Mazany in Round 2, (Unanswered Blows) to retain his title.
• Main Event: Nick Penner def. Joe Fonoti in Round 2, (Decision)