Ringside physician stoppage authority in United States combat sports commissions
Sears, 2026. Combat Sports Regulation and Science, Report No. CSX-001.
Version of recordCritical review
Peer reviewed, as stated by the publisher
Fight stoppage
Who stops a fight, on what signs, and with what authority. The call takes seconds. The fighter lives with it.
A priority states what Fight Medicine Research Institute wants answered and why. It is not a study, a finding or a recommendation. Any study must first pass scientific review and independent ethics review under policy R-01.
Why it matters
A stoppage is the last safety measure inside the bout. It is made in seconds, under noise and pressure, by people who hold different roles and see the fighter from different places.
Commission rules decide who holds that authority. Fight Medicine Research Institute wants the evidence behind those rules, and behind the call itself, to be strong enough that a fighter can trust both.
Research questions
- What signs do referees, physicians and corners act on when a bout is stopped, and how consistently are those signs applied?
- Does the way stoppage authority is assigned change what happens to the fighter?
- What information reaches the person who has to decide, and how fast does it get there?
- What do fighters report about their own stoppages, and how does that compare with what officials recorded?
In the research library
The library holds 2 records on this priority. One is a related-party work; the relationship is stated on its record. One is a ringside surveillance study of amateur Muay Thai, in which most athletes who needed the ring doctor had their bout stopped.
Epidemiological analysis of athlete injuries in Muay Thai in-ring matches
Hallaçeli et al., 2025. Injury Epidemiology.
Version of recordRingside injury surveillance at two national championships
Published in Injury Epidemiology, a peer-reviewed journal