Breaking News for Amateur MMA Fighters!!!

Posted on | February 5, 2008 | No Comments

After a successful year in working with the International Fight League (IFL), the International Sports Combat Federation (ISCF) has been swamped with requests from literally hundreds of Amateur Fighters and Trainers asking the ISCF to create something like the IFL. ISCF is introducing to you the “Next Big Thing” for MMA, The
International Battle League (IBL)

The First Real Amateur MMA Team Fight League!
Already there is a lot of excitement about the new IBL. This is long overdue as it is a must that the amateur athletes are given a first class platform to display their talents. Even before the official press release was made there has already been a load of interest. There have been requests for teams from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, South Dakota, Virginia, Florida, Arkansas, Indiana and North Carolina. Several top names in MMA have voiced their support such as Pat Miletich, Bas Rutten and Keith Hackney.

The IFL is supportive of the IBL knowing it will be a great place to scout potential pro talent for the Pro IFL League. All rules and regulations of the IBL will be sanctioned by the ISCF. The goal in creating the IBL is not to compete with the IFL or any other Professional organization. The new IBL Amateur League will be a feeder organization to Professional Promotions such as the IFL. The main thing that sets the IBL apart from the IFL is the fact that the IBL is an AMATEUR Team League and although there are other things that are the same, there are also a lot of differences.
The weight classes are the same;

? Lightweight, 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.
? Welterweight, 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
? Middleweight, 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
? Light Heavyweight, 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
? Heavyweight, 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.

The Team concept and competition will be the same, as each League Event will feature 4 Teams, where 2 Teams square off against each other for ranking points, wins and loses. However, the differences of the IBL Amateur League may work to its overall advantage and future success.

In the IBL, all the Teams will be “Teamed Owned” instead of owned by the League (IBL). Team Owners do not have to be directly involved in the sport of MMA. In some cases the Team Owner will be the same as the Team Coach. However, some Teams will have a separate Owner and Coach. There is no limit to the number of Coaches and or Trainers each Team can have. Each Team will be responsible for their own expenses which means they will be allowed to seek and attain their own sponsorship for expense funding and or needed equipment. Team members could be fighters all from 1 gym/school or a combined group from the city or region the team is based out of. It will be best if all the Team members live close to each other to assure unity of the Team, especially in Team practices and decision making. This concept clearly separates the IBL/ISCF Leadership from the TEAMS just as in other successful Team Leagues such as the NFL or NBA. The only difference here is that this is an AMATEUR League.

Teams will field 5 starters and 5 alternates. Each Team will be responsible for hosting 1 home event a season. Scheduled events will be held every 30 days or every 4-5 weeks, depending on venue bookings. The plan is to have a 4 month season that will provide 1 home event for each Team.

The regions of the IBL are pretty basic. The League will be divided into 3 Conferences (Western, Central and Eastern) and 3 Divisions in each Conference (Northern, Central and Southern). At the end of the 4 month season, each region of each conference will each have a Champion. There will also be 1 Wild Card Team which is the next best team of all 3 Divisions who will round out the needed 4 Teams for the Conference playoffs. The conference playoffs will take place on two events, 30 days apart (To provide plenty of rest and recovery time in case a fighter from one team is stopped by strikes for example) Once a Champion is determined from the 3 Conferences, the League will select the best performing Team from the Playoffs to be added in as the Wild Card Team to make up the IBL Final 4 Championships.

The IBL will be responsible for hosting the IBL Final 4 Championship event. At the Tournament, after weigh-ins, a hat draw will determine the parings of the first 2 match ups and the first 10 fights along with which Teams will compete first. After the first 10 fights, on the SAME NIGHT, the final two winning Teams will meet for the IBL Championship. Here is where it ads a little twist. The winning “Fighters” will each receive an IBL Championship Belts. The Winning TEAM will receive a Championship
Trophy and other Championship Awards such as individual Championship Rings, Plaques, Jackets and other things.

After the IBL Final 4 Championships, the IBL will host the IBL Grand Prix which will be a match-up of the top 10 fighters (2 from each weight class) to compete for an even more prestigious belt, the IBL Grand Prix Belt. There is a lot more that the IBL will be announcing. You can catch all the news on www.iblfights.com.

League Format

1. LEAGUE
? The League name is the IBL: International Battle League
? It is an AMATEUR “TEAM” Fight League for Mixed Martial Arts.

2. SANCTIONING
? The League will be sanctioned by the ISCF, International Sport Combat Federation.

3. MARKETING – EXPOSURE
? Apparel, Equipment, Posters, Logo clothing & merchandise items.
o A percentage will go to the Team to help with Team Expenses.
o Amateur Fighters cannot receive any portion of financial income.
o Internet Web Media Sites.
o Print – Magazine Media.
o Radio – TV Media.
? The Team Owner is responsible for himself, or the appointment of his own Sponsorship Team to seek out and attain their own sponsorship income to assist in the financial obligations of their Team.

4. FRANCHISES – OWNERS
? The ISCF shall be the determining authority to approve or deny all Owner/Franchise Applications.
? Each TEAM will have a Franchise Owner. Just like in other Sport Teams as in the NFL, NBA and their Farm Divisions.
? Teams are not owned by the League (IBL) or the Sanctioning body (ISCF).
? Team owners do not have to be directly involved in the sport of MMA.
? The owner is responsible for the Financial needs of his/her team. These needs are:
o Paying the League Franchise fee to the ISCF for rights to own his /her Team.
o Like in any Sport, the Franchise Fees would help fund the League for the season along with other income to the league from each Team.
o Funding Travel Expenses for his/her Team.
o Funding home events for his/her Team.
o Funding Team Uniforms.
o And any additional financial responsibilities of the Team.
? Franchisees will be selected through Application.
? Each Franchisee / Owner will pay a Yearly Team Owners Franchise Fee. These fees will be put towards:
o League administration costs.
o Costs for the Final Two League Championship Events: This will include the costs of the Venue Rental, staffing and of course the Awards

5. COACH
? The coach and the owner can be the same person, however, it would be less of a burden on the coach if they were separated.
? The coach is responsible for fielding and training his/her team.
? Their can be more than 1 Coach per Team. Whether they be called a “Co-Coach” or an “Assistant Coach” can be determined by the Team.

6. WEIGHTCLASSES
? Each Team is required to Field A Starter and an Alternate Fighter Per Weightclass.
1. Lightweight, 145 lbs. to 155 lbs.
2. Welterweight, 155 lbs. to 170 lbs.
3. Middleweight, 170 lbs. to 185 lbs.
4. Light Heavyweight, 185 lbs. to 205 lbs.
5. Heavyweight, 205 lbs. to 265 lbs.

7. FIGHTERS
? All Fighters Must First be a Registered Fighter with the ISCF to be eligible to be on a League Team.
? All fighters are AMATEUR Fighters and cannot have fought as a professional in ANY Full Contact Fight Sport.
? Each TEAM will have 10 fighters who represent 5 weightclasses per team.
? A STARTER with a back-up Fighter for each weightclass.

FIGHTER SELECTION
Fighters will be required to have a minimum amount of bouts before being allowed to be on a Team.
The minimum number is yet to be determined by the ISCF & IBL. Teams can only Field Fighters for their Teams from their direct Region.

8. TEAMS
? Teams could be all fighters from 1 gym/school (Where the Team would be named after their gym/school) or a combined group from the city or region the team is based out of with a name of that region or a mascot name like in other team Sports. (Ex: Team Chicago, Chicago Wildcats, Team Minnesota, Team Dragons etc.)
? Here is an example of a “REGION” within a “DIVISION” and its teams:
Central Region within the Central Division
o Missouri KNIGHTS
o Springfield THUNDER
o St. Louis LIGHTNING
o Kansas City KINGS

9. POINT SYSTEM

AWP: Accumulated WIN Points
Total of WIN Points of each bout a fighter competed in.
Win = 1 Point
Lose = 0 Points.
In the case of a Forfeit – Ex: Opponent no shows – the opposing fighter will receive the HIGHEST allowed points.

HWP: How Won Points
In case of any TIES with the Accumulated WIN Points, these points shall be thrown out and the League will review the fighters HWP.
o First Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 30 Points
o Second Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 20 Points
o 3rd Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 10 Points
o Judges Decision Win: 5 Points.
Location of each playoff event shall be determined in the same way as above, with the BEST earning Home Venue Rights.

10. REGULAR SEASON
SEASON
o The best time for the Season is during the months of good weather.
o This way, there are no problems with traveling to the various venues.
o The proposed Season for the Divisional Match-Ups is from May through August.
o The 2 months needed for the Playoffs shall be September & October.
o The Grand Prix All Star Event shall be held at the end of the year in November/December.

It is our desire to have an event every 1-2 weeks because the teams would be on a rotating schedule.
Each Team should have an event every 30 days.
In a Division with 4 Teams, this would mean a 4 month “Regular Season”.
o This way, each TEAM has a HOME event.
o On the final of these 4 events, the number 1 seeded Team will fight the number 3 seeded Team and the number 2 seeded Team will fight the number 4 seeded Team as a Regular Season Event.
o Add 2 months for the two rounds of Regional playoffs
o Add one more month for the FINAL 4 Event.
o Add one more month for the “All Star Grand Prix”
o This would make the entire season, 8 MONTHS LONG.

COMPETITION
Each REGION within the three Conferences will compete against each other within the 4 month season. Over the 4 month season, all REGIONAL Teams will fight their own Regional Teams once to determine the BEST in their Region.
HOWEVER: The number of League Events per Team would depend on how many Teams are in a division. This is because we want each Team to compete against their own Regional Teams one time during the Season. However, if there are only 4 Teams in an entire Conference, there will be less
League “Events”, but still, 4 months of 4 League Events among those 4 Teams.
Each COMPETITION will consist of 4 TEAMS.
These Teams will be 1 HOME TEAM with 3 visiting TEAMS.
All visiting Teams will pay their own travel fees to get to the event which will include;
o Travel (Gas, Plane tickets etc).
o Hotel.
o Food.
Each Division (Western, Central & Eastern) would field Teams.
TEAM Match-ups will be determined by a schedule announced by the IBL & The ISCF.
When the Teams compete, it would of course be one TEAM Vs another TEAM.
During competition, each WIN by a fighter counts as a Win Point for his Team.
At the end of each competition, the TEAM with the most WIN points, wins the Event.
The BEST team in a Region will now be part of the TOP 4 playoff Teams Per Conference.
The Top 4 will consist of;
1. Northern Champion
2. Central Champion
3. Southern Champion
4. Wild Card Team; The Team with the next best record or point totals within the Conference.
At the end of the year, fighters with the best records would be selected for the “ALL-STAR” or “GRAND-PRIX” Event.

11. PLAYOFFS
REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
DETERMINING PLAYOFF TEAMS
Location of each playoff event shall be determined by the BEST Team of the “Conference” earning Home Venue Rights.
Northern Region, Central Region & Southern Region of each Conference (Western, Central &
Eastern) will each have a Champion.
There will also be 1 Wild Card Team which is the next best team of all 3 Divisions.
If two Teams TIE in fight records, the tie shall be broken by the AWP: “Accumulated WIN Points” of all their events they competed in.
In General, Each Win is 1 point, loss is -0-. Forfeit – Opponent no shows.
If still tied, the TIE shall be broken by the League by a tally of HWP which stands for “How Won Points “.
o First Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 30 Points
o Second Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 20 Points
o 3rd Round Win (Knockout, TKO, Submission): 10 Points
o Judges Decision Win: 5 Points.

FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS
The 4 best Teams of each Conference will travel to the HOME Venue (As determined by the Best Team of the Conference) and compete against each other for the Top 2 Teams who will eventually meet for the Conference Championship.
The Top Seed of the Conference (Home Team) will battle against the 4th seed (Wild Card Team) to determine one of the Final 2 Conference Teams.
The Second and Third seed Teams will battle each other to determine the other Final 2 Conference Team for the Conference Final.

CONFERENCE PLAYOFFS
30 days after the FIRST ROUND OF PLAYOFFS, the remaining TWO Teams will meet each other for the Conference Championships at a location determined after the first round of Playoffs is over. The location shall be the home venue of the Team with the better record of the two Conference final Teams.

FINAL 4 LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
We will have a name for this event with something such as the “IBL Grand Prix”.
It shall be determined if this event changes locations every year like the Super Bowl in the NFL or if we have a Home Venue.
The Final 4 will consist of the final 4 Top Teams.
o Champion from the Western Conference.
o Champion from the Central Conference.
o Champion from the Eastern Conference.
o A Team specially selected by the League from the Conference Playoffs as a “Wild Card Entree”.
The Championship of these Teams will be determined all in one night.
Seeding will be determined by their “SEASON” Performance, not Playoff Performance.
Seed number 1 will face off against Seed number 4.
Seed number 2 will face off against Seed number 3.
The winners of these 10 bouts will meet at the end of the event against each other for the League title.

12. ALL STAR GRAND PRIX
Each fighter will have a separate ranking and point system from the team system.
Each fighter will earn their ranking based upon the point structure system as noted above (Win points, or to break a tie, how they won)
In each of the 5 weight classes the League will select the top two fighters who will participate in the League’s “All Star Grand Prix” for either an IBL Title and Belt or an ISCF title & Belt. (TBD)
Each TEAM that fields an ALL STAR will be responsible for their travel expenses to the “All Star Grand Prix”.
It is the desired goal of the League to assure that a minimum of 1 winner, maybe all 5 winners at the “All Star Grand Prix” are selected for Pro Contracts on one of the Premier Pro MMA Promotions.

13. LEADERSHIP
This is not a League of Teams owned by the league (IBL) or the sanctioning body (ISCF) which is a conflict of interest.
This concept clearly separates the IBL/ISCF Leadership from the TEAMS just as in other successful Team Leagues such as the NFL or NBA.
The only difference here is that this is an AMATEUR League.

14. SPONSORSHIP
Sponsorship can be attained by the IBL/ISCF for the League as well as for the Teams.
Each Team has the right to attain a Team Sponsor.

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