Craig Jones Invitational x Quintet Official Rules 

I. Competition Format 

1. Teams 

● Each team is to consist of five athletes, corresponding to five weight divisions (-66kg, -77kg, -88kg, -99kg, +99kg). There is a 1kg weight allowance for the team tournament competitors. There is no allowance for the women’s tournament. 

● There are no weight minimums for any of the weight divisions. 

● Team rosters are subject to approval by the promotion. 

2. Athlete Order 

● Team managers are to determine the order in which their respective athletes compete. 

● Each team’s first entrant is selected 60 seconds before the team duel begins.

● Coaches submit their first entrant to their assigned stage manager (one per corner), with selections made simultaneously and independently. 

● If their athlete is eliminated, team managers have 30 seconds from the conclusion of the bout to select their next athlete. 

3. Quintet Time Limits 

● 8 minutes per bout 

4. Break Between Bouts 

● Each team duel includes a 90-second break between bouts. The countdown begins at the moment a bout ends. 

● Team managers have 30 seconds to select their next athlete.

 5. Wild Card 

● Team managers have the option to select up to two athletes from outside their gym (or region for region-based teams) to be on their team, subject to approval by promotion. 

6. Athletes Unable to Continue 

● Once an event commences, there are no substitutions if athletes are unable to proceed through the tournament. 

● If an athlete is injured or otherwise unable to continue and their team advances to next round, that team will compete without that athlete (or any substitute for that athlete). Winning criteria for ensuing team duels remain the same.

7. Team Coaches

● Each team has a head coach and up to three assistant coaches. Coaches are subject to approval by promotion.

● During a match, only the head coach and one assistant coach are permitted in the coaching

area. The other assistant coaches must remain backstage.

● If more than one assistant coach is present pit-side at any time, an immediate point deduction will be applied to the team’s scorecard for that round.

● Assistant coaches must swap places backstage as needed.

8. Team Kits & Attire

● Athletes in team tournament are required to compete in their official team kits.

● Athletes cannot wear any outside apparel in the pit or during their walkouts.

II. Time Limits

1. Quintet time limits 

•  8 minute bouts

2. Regular time limits (tournament non-finals and superfights)

• 3 rounds of 5 minutes

• 1 minute rest in-between rounds

3. Time limits for tournament finals

• 5 rounds of 5 minutes + 5 minutes of overtime if points are drawn after round 5 (multiple rounds until one athlete is up on points)

• 1 minute rest in-between rounds

III. Legal Techniques

• All chokes except using the hand to close the windpipe.

• Any arm bar, shoulder lock, or wrist lock

• Any leg lock or ankle lock or hip lock.

• Can opener is allowed.

• Twister is allowed.

• Full Nelson is allowed.

IV. Illegal Techniques

• Slamming is permitted only when a submission is locked in. If your opponent lets go of the submission before you begin the slam, you must let go and abort the slam.

• Spiking your opponent on their head.

• Striking of any kind

• Eye gouging or fish hooking

• Grabbing the ears

• Hair pulling.

• Holding of less than four fingers or toes.

• Thumbing.

• Scratching, pinching, or biting.

• Squeezing or putting pressure on the groin area.

• Knees or elbows to the face.

• Holding of rashguards or shorts.

• Slippery substances are not allowed on the body or clothing.

V. Referee and Judges

Referee

The referee is the sole authority over the bout and is responsible for issuing negative points, cautions, and warnings; ordering positional resets and disqualifications; and starting or stopping the match.

Judges

The judges will score each round using the 10-Point Must system, assigning a point value to each athlete based on the established scoring criteria. 

1. General Scoring Criteria

Rounds will be judged individually on a 10-Point Must System. 

Under the 10-Point Must Scoring System, 10 points must be awarded to the winner of the round and 9 points or fewer must be awarded to the loser. A submission always leads to an immediate win of the entire match.

The following criteria shall be utilized by the judges when scoring a round:

  • a. A round is to be scored as a 10-9 round when an athlete wins by a close margin.

  • b. A round is to be scored as a 10-8 round when an athlete is overwhelmingly dominant throughout the round.

  • c. A round is to be scored a 10-7 round when an athlete totally dominates throughout the round and almost finishes the opponent.

JUDGING CRITERIA RANKED

I. INITIATING ACTION – the highest reward is for initiating effective action. Attempting takedowns, guard passes, sweeps, submissions, etc. Judges will give the highest reward to the competitor who is aggressive, the one starting the action and attacks that lead to scrambles and danger of submission.

II. CLOSE SUBMISSIONS & DYNAMIC ACTION – Dynamic Action is defined as takedowns, sweeps, passes, etc. After initiating effective action, progressing through control and dominant positions to sub attempts weighs heavily on judges.

III. POSITIONAL CONTROL / DOMINANT CONTROL – This is the last factor. If all else is equal, the competitor who controlled the match positionally or dictated the pace of the match will be rewarded.

2. Penalties

A. Stalling and Passivity

  • Stalling and passivity will be determined by the referee when one athlete is purposely slowing the pace, aggression, or flow of the match with no apparent strategy to progress, move to a more dominant position or set up a submission.

    • a. Stalling can be called from ANY position (including front or back-mounted positions, as well as all defensive positions) if the referee determines there is no attempt to progress to submission, escape a pinned position or stay active.
      b. Passivity can be defined as an athlete avoiding contact or engagement with their opponent.

  • When the referee determines an athlete is stalling, a stalling call will be issued under a three-strike system:

    • a. First call: Official warning. No previous warning is necessary to incur the first stalling call.

    • b. Second call: Immediate point deduction to the team’s score for that round (or if women’s tournament or superfight, athlete’s score for that round).

      • The referee will pause the match to announce a stalling call, then restart it in either half guard or a neutral position (standing without connection), as determined at the referee’s discretion. See details 3.B.4.  

    • c. Third call: Immediate disqualification of the offending athlete, with their opponent declared the winner.

  • Stalling will be enforced if any part of an athlete’s back is touching the ground for more than 3 seconds without any connection to the opponent.

  • Open guard passing while avoiding contact (i.e. grips) counts as stalling. Fighters must immediately engage and stay engaged.

  • A fighter cannot flee or run from a guard pull; they must defend, break or engage the position. Fleeing or running from engagement or an attack without immediate reengagement counts as stalling.

  • Avoiding contact (i.e., grips) in either the standing position or while passing open guard counts as stalling. Fighters must immediately engage and stay engaged..

  • Both fighters may receive a stalling call simultaneously. If a simultaneous stalling call results in a positional reset, the action will restart from the neutral position (standing without connection).

  • If an athlete receives his second strike while in a defensive position (for example, while being mounted or having his back taken), the opponent will retain his advantageous position after the point deduction. 

  • If two fighters disengage, both fighters must reengage, regardless of which one initiated the disengagement.

  • A fighter in their opponent’s closed guard must attempt to open the guard and advance position. Holding position inside a closed guard counts as stalling.

  • If an athlete’s hands or feet touch the top of the pit, the athlete will be penalized by a warning and, if offense is repeated, by a point deduction.

B. Point Deduction

  • If a point is being deducted for stalling:

    • i. The referee shall call timeout.

    • ii. The referee shall order the offending athlete to a neutral location.

    • iii. The referee shall then inform the corners and the judges of the point being deduced.

    • iv. The referee shall reset the athletes in either half guard or neutral position (standing without connection), at the referee’s discretion. However, if the offending athlete was in a fully defensive position (e.g. while being mounted or having their back taken), the opponent will retain their advantageous position after the point deduction instead.

For half guard resets, the offending athlete will be on bottom and their shoulders will be flat on the mat.

Leg position: The top athlete has to have both knees on the floor. The bottom athlete has an inside hook with the other leg triangled over it (figure four). The bottom athlete cannot lock legs in lockdown (scorpion hold).

Arm position: The top athlete will have a far-side underhook. The bottom athlete will have a hand posted on the other elbow as a frame. Their own arm is bent at the elbow. The bottom athlete’s underhook-side arm will be resting on the back of the top athlete’s shoulder. 

Head position: The top athlete will have their head in a neutral position on the chest. They can choose which ear to place on the center of the chest. 

  • If an athlete uses an illegal technique and renders the opponent injured or otherwise unable to immediately continue fighting:

    • i. The referee shall call timeout.

    • ii. The referee shall order the offending athlete to a neutral location.

    • iii. The referee shall allow the injured athlete up to 5 minutes to recover from the foul.

    • iv. The referee shall then determine whether the foul was intentional. If deemed intentional, the referee shall deduct a point and inform the corners and judges.

    • v. If the injured athlete is able to continue within or after 5 minutes, the referee shall reset the athletes in the same position they were in before the foul occurred.

    • vi. If the injured athlete is unable to continue within or after 5 minutes, the referee may decide, based on the severity of the foul:

      • a. To disqualify the offending athlete

      • b. To discontinue the match and decide a winner based on the current scorecards. Incomplete rounds should be scored utilizing the same criteria as other rounds up to the point said incomplete round is stopped.

  • If an athlete intentionally uses an illegal technique and the opponent is not injured or otherwise unable to immediately continue fighting:

    • i. The referee shall notify the offending athlete of the foul.

    • ii. The referee shall determine whether the foul was intentional. If so, the match shall continue and the referee shall inform corners and judges of the point deduction after the round.

3. Scoring considerations specific to format

  • Quintet: Winning Criteria

  1. Elimination

    • Teams win a duel by eliminating all members of the opposing team.

    • Elimination occurs when one athlete submits their opponent. The winning athlete then stays on to compete against the next member of the opposing team.

    • If no submission occurs in the match, then both athletes are eliminated.

  2. Judge Decisions

    • If five double eliminations occur, or any such instance where each team’s final athletes are double eliminated, the team with more individual wins by judges' decision wins. 

    • If tied on scorecards, the team whose athlete won the final bout wins. If the final bout is a draw, the win goes to the team whose athlete last won a non-draw bout.

    • There is no open scoring, i.e. judges’ scorecards are not revealed after each individual bout. Scorecards are shown only if team duel goes to judges’ decision, and will be presented as aggregate tally of bouts scored (e.g. 50-45, 49-48, etc.).

Weight consideration for scoring: If athletes are separated by an entire weight category or more (for example -66kg vs -88kg) and there is no submission, the maximum score the heavier athlete can be awarded is 10-9. The lighter athlete will not incur a point deduction for a second stalling call, but a third stalling call will still result in disqualification.

  • Women’s Tournament

If both athletes end up with the same score (e.g. 28-28), the athlete who won the third round will be determined the winner. Should the final round result in a draw, the participating judges shall convene to determine the winner of the bout. In case of a draw in the final rounds, the match will continue in overtime (see I.1).