Scott Coker Wants California to Reconsider One Controversial MMA Rule
Scott Coker wants California to revisit a long-standing MMA restriction, a move that could change what Ki MMA can do, but the state has already tested a different approach to altering the sport.
Scott Coker’s Ki MMA has formally asked the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) to consider incorporating an element of the Global MMA Rules into the Unified Rules. In a statement posted Tuesday, Coker requested discussion at the Dec. 1 stakeholders meeting. The request is narrow, focused on one technique rather than a wholesale rewrite of the rules used across the sport.
Scott Coker Asks California to Consider Grounded Knees for Ki MMA
The proposal centers on knees to the head of a grounded opponent, a strike currently prohibited under the Unified Rules. MMA Junkie reported that the request concerns this specific technique, while Coker’s public statement describes the effort more broadly as adopting elements of the global rules.
“I’ve always believed MMA should keep evolving.”
Coker’s statement excludes soccer kicks, stomps, and “linear knee strikes.” He asked for a discussion, not approval, and the commission has not announced a decision on the proposal.
California’s Other Modified-MMA Experiment Went in the Opposite Direction
This would not be California’s first experiment with a different MMA format. The CSAC’s March 9 agenda included FirePower Promotion’s request to hold an event under Modified MMA rules, and its event records list FXC Strikers Full Throttle on August 29 as a Modified MMA event.
FXC’s published rules prohibit wrestling, takedowns, submissions, kicks, knees, and ground grappling. Fighters can follow a legal knockdown with ground-and-pound for up to three seconds, but the attacker must keep both feet on the canvas before the referee resets the fighters.
That is a different approach from Coker’s proposal: FXC removes most grappling options, while Ki is seeking to add one particular strike to grounded exchanges. California’s experience with modified rules provides context, but it does not mean regulators will accept this request. The next step is whether the commission takes up the proposal for discussion.
