Third-tier fights (21-40) are 8-rounders and can be handled by any format, unless the combined RGs are 16-17 asterisks, in which case they must be at least express played, or 18+ asterisks, in which case they must be full played.
Second-tier fights (11-20) are 10-rounders and cannot be quick-played
First-tier fights (1-10) are 12-rounders; championship fights are 15-rounders. All must be full-played.
Rankings are based on a modified Elo system, similar to chess ratings; when lower rated fighters beat (or draw) higher rated ones, they gain points, and when higher rated fighters beat (or draw) lower rated ones, they lose points; and the bigger the spread, the greater the gain (or loss).
Fighters were initially seeded into one of three pools and separated according to ring general ship within those pools. Champions were given an arbitrary rating of 2300; 1-10 were given a 2200; 11-20 were given a 2000; 21-40 were given an 1800. New entering fighters will start with an 1800 rating and be ranked wherever that places them.
Fighters can compete in multiple divisions simultaneously; their ratings aren't affected at one weight when they fight at another, but their mandatory rest period is.
There will be two title fights each month; each title will be on the line 3 times in the course of a year, as follows:
Heavy & Fly: Jan/May/Sept
Light-heavy & Bantam: Feb/June/Oct
Middle & Feather: March/July/Nov
Welter & Light: April/Aug/Dec
8 months out of the year, fighters fight only within their grouping. Five fights per weight class, including at least one in the top and middle group, and at least two in the bottom group. The fifth fight is chosen randomly.
Every third month is a free for all, where any contender may fight any other contender (title defenses must still be against top 10 contenders). "Mix & match" fights are scheduled for the distance of the higher-ranked fighter's group (e.g. a bottom tier fighter against a middle tier fighter would be a 10-rounder) except that if fighters from the top (usually 12 rounds) and bottom (usually 8 rounds) tiers fight, it's scheduled for 10 rounds.
December is "makeup month" where the commissioners may manually designate that inactive fighters must fight, for instance say everyone in the top 10 has fought three times over the course of the year, except #7 has only fought once. He may be assigned a random fight, which can be against anyone, or designated to fight against someone else who "needs work."
If #1 fights #2, the winner gets a title fight at the next available opportunity, and may pass up other fights in the meantime so as not to blow his rest eligibility.
If #1 or #2 fights #3, the winner becomes a mandatory challenger, except that the champion may make 1 voluntary defense first. A die roll determines whether the champion makes a voluntary. If the champion is higher rated (per ring generalship) than his mandatory challenger, he's less likely to take the voluntary defense; if he's lower rated, he's more likely to duck the mandatory once. If they're the same rating, it's 50-50.
Retired fighters may make "comebacks" at the discretion of the commissioners (be re-entered into the pool)
Our arbitrary start date is January 1970, which has no effect on anyone's eligibility.
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