Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1370.740 - Structure of the Fighting Area for Contests

a) Contests shall be held in a ring, cage or a fenced area.

b) The fighting area shall be approved by the Division, including all padding or enclosures. Fighting areas that are not approved by the Division shall not be used. The fighting area shall meet the following requirements:

1) The fighting area:

A) shall be constructed in a manner that does not pose a substantial risk to the safety or health of any person. The fighting area must be circular or have as many as eight equal sides for a contest. The fighting area shall be no smaller than 16 feet wide and no larger than 32 feet wide within the ropes, cage or fenced area;

B) shall have a corner with a blue designation and the corner directly across shall have a red designation;

C) floor shall extend at least 24 inches beyond the ropes or other barrier. The floor must be of a canvas, duck or similar material that shall be padded with at least a one inch layer of foam padding that shall extend over the edge of the platform of the fighting area. Vinyl or other plastic rubberized covering is prohibited. Materials that may gather in lumps or ridges during the bout or contest are prohibited;

D) platform shall be a minimum of one foot and no more than 4 feet above the floor on which it is standing and must have suitable steps or ramps for use by officials and the contestants;

E) shall have 5 fighting area ropes, when fighting area ropes are used, not less than one inch in diameter and wrapped in soft material. The lowest rope must be no higher than 12 inches from the fighting area floor; and

F) must not be obstructed by any object, including, without limitation, a triangular border, on any part of the fighting area floor.

2) When fighting area ropes are used, the post:

A) must be made of metal no less 3 inches and not more than 6 inches in diameter, and must be properly padded in a manner approved by the Division; and

B) must be 18 inches away from the fighting area ropes.

3) The fence or cage specifications for martial arts and mixed martial arts are:

A) the fence or cage shall be made of material that will prevent a contestant from falling out or breaking through the fighting area onto the floor beneath the fighting area or onto spectators. The enclosure may be composed of vinyl-coated chain link fencing or other similar material;

B) any exposed metal on the interior of the fenced or caged area must be covered and padded in a manner approved by the inspector or Division representative. The covering shall not be abrasive to the contestants;

C) any metal parts used to reinforce the fenced or caged area enclosure shall not interfere with the safety of the contestants;

D) the enclosure shall provide 2 separate entries onto the fighting area canvas that are sufficient to allow easy access to the fighting area by officials and emergency personnel, unless otherwise approved by the Division. The entrances must be padded or covered so that there is no exposed metal on the interior of the fence or caged area;

E) the enclosure shall not obstruct or limit the supervision and regulation of the bout by officials or Division representatives; and

F) the enclosure shall not inhibit the judging of the bout in any manner.

Notes

Ill. Admin. Code tit. 68, § 1370.740