Courtesy of Nightmare of Battle:
The rules for the Yarennoka! event have been announced. The bout duration will consist of a 10 minute first round and a 5 minute second round. The judges have to choose a winner if the fight goes the full 15 minutes, so there can be no draws. Soccer kicks and stomps to the head of a downed opponent will not be allowed, but knees are legal besides in the Fedor vs. Choi fight where they are illegal (probably because of the weight difference).
The question is: is the slow but steady dissemination of the unified rules of MMA the cause for the Japanese removing two key rules that have, in part, come to define the style of fighting in Japan? That's probably a stretch, but it's impossible not to notice the convergence of in-ring rules across fighting platforms and organizations despite the worldwide growth of the sport.
As a fan, I can live without either soccer kicks or stomps. In fact, I find it highly hypocritical to whine about elbows on the ground yet allow soccer kicks. Knees to the head of a downed opponent, however, is something we can all get behind.
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