Interim Champions

There shall be no “interim” champions. If a champion is injured or otherwise incapacitated and thus cannot satisfy their title defense obligations set forth in 523 CMR 22.09(1) or (2), the Commission may for good cause grant the combatant an additional 60 day grace period in which to make the required title defense. If no title defense is made by either the end of the grace period or the mandatory defense period set forth in 523 CMR 22.09(1) or (2), whichever is later in time, the next two highest ranked combatants in that weight class shall compete for the title. Once the injured champion notifies the Commission that they are able to resume competing, that individual shall be the mandatory challenger for the new champion.