Just a few short months after Titan FC officials announced they will begin to blend combat grappling bouts into their product on UFC Fight Pass, we are just days away from the first official bout.

This Friday, March 15, two UFC veterans will lock horns inside the Titan FC cage, part of an already super exciting Titan FC 53 fight card. Gilbert Burns and Gleison Tibau will compete in the first ever Titan FC combat grappling matchup.

According to Titan FC COO Lex McMahon, “the intent of Titan FC Combat Grappling is to create an environment and rule set that encourages a fast paced, exciting match focused on finishes.”

This is combat grappling which means in addition to grappling, open handed strikes to the head and body are allowed.

“Titan FC is continuing to grow and expand our business, as we looked at the current combat sports landscape, it became evident that there is tremendous energy and fan support for both combat jiu jitsu, so it only makes sense that Titan expand our expertise in combat sports and event production and promotion to include this robust and rapidly growing aspect of combat sports to our product offering,” McMahon said.

“As a long time Jiu Jitsu practitioner and avid fan of all combat sports. I’ve been particularly intrigued with the growth of combat jiu jitsu so it’s both an exciting and logical brand extension for Titan FC,” said Titan FC CEO Jeff Aronson.

The rules for Titan FC combat grappling are as follows:

Way to Win:

Submission/tapout/ref sounds round

Disqualification – for series of fouls

Disqualification – for single foul

Submission Shoot-out (tie-break

Shoot-out

Competitor A is allowed to take the back of Competitor B

Competitor A submits B as quickly as possible

Competitor B is allowed to take the back of Competitor A

Competitor B submits A as quickly as possible

The Competitor who submitted opponent the quickest is the winner of the match.

Time Limits

1 x 8mins round (no rest period)

Submission Shoot-out (tie-breaker)

Prohibited Act (Serious Fouls – Immediate Disqualification loss)

No pile-driving/spiking/suplexing an opponent onto his head/neck

No neck crank (no twisting of only the cervical spine)

Minor Fouls (Warnings; each fighter can be warned twice in a match before disqualification)

Stalling – playing for a draw – not advancing position

Intentionally forcing opponent off the mat

Intentional escape from the mat to evade bad positioning

Biting, pushing teeth onto opponent

Grabbing hair, body hair, nose, or ears

Attacking or pushing the groin or eyes

Grabbing three or less fingers at one time

Any kind of intentional striking other than open handed slaps (punch, elbow, knee, headbutt, kick, shoulder strike)

In case of warning given to a fighter, the fighter crawls on all fours to the middle of the mat and the opponent puts both palms on the fighter’s waist. The bout is started at the signal of the referee.

In case of a warning to both fighters, both start from standing position.

If the referee determines that an illegal act causes serious damage to the opponent, an immediate disqualification loss may be ruled.

Prohibited Items

No shoes

No Vaseline, liniments, body grease, gels, balms, lotions, oils, or other substances that may be applied to the hair, face, or body as lubricant

No jewelry (rings, necklaces, piercings, etc.)

Bouts Are Won By

Submission – tap out or verbal

Ref stops fight due to passing out/loss of consciousness or severe injury

Disqualification

Submission Shoot-out

Fight Mat

Titan FC cage

ABOUT TITAN FC:

Titan FC is dedicated to establishing itself as a marquee MMA promotion for both up-and-coming and veteran fighters. The promotion established a #FansFightersFirst creed towards providing fans with great, action-packed fights and fighters an opportunity to showcase their skills on a competitive platform. In June of 2015, Titan FC partnered with the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) to showcase past, present and future Titan FC events on the UFC’s digital streaming network, UFC Fight Pass. In doing so, Titan FC is now available to mixed martial arts fans across the globe in over a 150 countries.

ABOUT UFC FIGHT PASS:

UFC FIGHT PASS is available now at UFCFIGHTPASS.com on personal computers, Box One, XBox 360, Apple TV, IPad, IPhone, Chromecast, Android, Samsung, LG Smart TV and Roku. Subscriptions are $9.99 month to month, $8.99 per month for six months or $7.99 per month for a one-year subscription.

Eric Kowal https://www.mymmanews.com Founder of MyMMANews.com

– After writing for Ultimate MMA magazine and serving as the editor for U.S. Combat Sports, both of which went on hiatus, I decided to venture out on my own and enlist a staff of writers and photographers that could help me achieve my goal of telling stories that would otherwise go untold. We pride ourselves in taking a deeper look into the fighter, and understanding what makes them tick.

– #1 Dad, Marine Corps Veteran, 80’s and 90’s Pro Wrestling Fan, MMA Commentator, Beer Lover, and avid movie watcher. Seriously….. I watch a lot of movies. See author's posts