Introduction

The Hardcore Fighting Championship (HFC) is a sport that brings together the most talented Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) athletes. HFC was created to bring the sport of MMA to New England, initially, through events held in large venues and eventually onto paid-per-view television. The concept is to excite New England audiences by introducing amateur fighters to the ring along with famous fighters seen on paid-per-view events like Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pride Championship (PC) in order to produce a diversified, high-energy event.

In The Beginning

The original MMA event was called UFC, which was created in 1993 as a made for pay-per-view spectacle in an effort to garner worldwide attention. There never was a plan to proceed beyond one or two shows. The concept was to bring together champions of various martial arts and Olympic sports -- karate, jiu-jitsu, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, sumo and other disciplines -- to determine which style would be most successful in a tournament. International support for the event was tremendous. What began as a mere spectacle was transformed into one of the most entertaining sporting events in the world. Over the course of its eight-year existence and 31 events, UFC has become the premier mixed MMA event in the world, featuring competitors of multiple disciplines in a quest to become the ultimate fighting champion.
The Hardcore Fighting Championship

The Hardcore Fighting Championship is New England's version of the UFC, featuring a strong ownership and management team with years of experience in business development, sports and entertainment. By establishing strong, committed relationships with state athletic commissions and martial arts venues, HFC's goal is to elevate MMA to major league status among all sports in New England, as well as build HFC fighters into international stars. Ultimately, HFC is committed to providing the highest quality live events, entertaining consumers and promoting MMA.

Ownership

In 2002, Joe Maffei founded Hardcore Fighting Championship. A practitioner of martial arts for more than 30 years, Maffei holds a black belt in judo, black sash in Chinese kung-fu and tai-chi. He is a full instructor in Jeet Kune Do and the Filipino Martial Arts, Brazilian Jiu-jitsu student and Rickson Gracie representative since 1988.
Maffei has been in the music and entertainment industry for more than 35 years. He produces exciting shows by combining his experience in the entertainment world to the sport of MMA.
In 1990, Joe opened his own training facility, The Integrated Martial Development Center, in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Joe was contracted by UFC in 1995 to be an expert advisor in a nine-day trial in Rhode Island Superior Court about MMA. His testimony supported the UFC's position that Ultimate Fighting was a sport in and of itself, distinct from kickboxing, collegiate wrestling, and other sports that had to be licensed by the state athletic committee. The same year Joe was hired as the martial arts color commentator for a UFC-type event held in Tokyo Japan, World Vale-Tudo Championship. He is currently a certified instructor and trainer for the International Fighting Championships (IFC). He also has trained members of state and local law enforcement, as well as U.S. Special Forces, FBI, DEA, ATF, and other organizations. Joe's first Paladin Press video production, The Reality of Edged Weapons, was released this past July. He is also the creator, co-producer, and writer of "The Complete Fighter: A J.K.D.Freestyle Fighting Video Training Series," and has published articles in several magazines, including Karate Illustrated, Full Contact, Inside Kung-Fu, Police Marksman, and Modern Knives. His latest projects are the development and marketing of a combat fighting knife, JKD Fighter, and the promotion and development of HFC.

Participants

HFC brings together the most talented martial arts experts worldwide. Many of these athletes have strong educational backgrounds to go along with lifelong training in martial arts and combative sports. HFC fighters often train for more than six hours a day in preparation for MMA competition. Backgrounds vary from a 44-year-old family man and recently crowned UFC Ultimate, Ultimate World Heavyweight Champion, Dan Severn, of Michigan, to 25-year-old electronics' technician Miguel Menedez, of Waltham (MA).

Rules & Regulations

Few rules existed during early events to allow fighters of many disciplines to compete fairly and freely without inhibiting any particular style. This format existed to encourage competition and prevent injuries. The evolution of the sport led to a number of rule changes necessitated by pay-per-view scheduling demands.

State Athletic Commission

The first sectioned MMA event In Massachusetts was held May 18, 2002, sanctioned by The Massachusetts State Boxing Commission. An official relationship, including commission appointed officials and judges, was established and is governed by the Massachusetts Department for Public Safety. Today more than 40 states allow some form of MMA competition.
Fighter safety
Unique to MMA is the ability to tap out. Unlike boxing and other combative sports that do not allow fighters to stop a fight, HFC allows fighters to stop the fight -- "tap out" -- by tapping the floor or their opponent, motioning to the referee that they do not wish to continue and risk further harm. Also, trained referees and physicians do not allow a fight to continue once a fighter risks serious injury or can no longer intelligently defend him.

Weight divisions

MMA events originally did not use weight divisions for competition. A 400-pound sumo wrestler could compete against a 100-pound karate expert. It was not unusual for smaller combatants to defeat larger opponents due to the mastery of one discipline that worked well against another regardless of the participants' size and strength.

As fighters developed multiple skills, in addition to masters of single disciplines being replaced by multi-disciplined athletes, it became necessary to develop and use weight divisions. As in boxing, it is unsafe and unfair to match equally talented competitors of drastic strength differences against each other in competition.

The HFC has nine (9) weight divisions.

Flyweight
under 125 pounds

Bantamweight
125-134.9

Featherweight
135-144.9

Lightweight
145-154.9

Welterweight
155-169.9

Middleweight
170-184.9

Light Heavyweight
185-204.9

Heavyweight
205-264.9

Super Heavyweight
over 265

Rounds/time limits

In the beginning bouts featured an unlimited number of five-minute rounds. Fights were won only when someone was knocked out or tapped out. Fights typically lasted no longer than one or two rounds. Changes resulted in no rounds or time limits. Fights started lasting longer and caused some problems, the most serious resulting in the end of the allotted pay-per-view time block while main event fights were still in progress. Unable to view the completion of main events, consumers received refunds and loss in pay-per-view revenues soon led (MMA) officials to institute time limits.

HFC offers two types of fights: amateur and professional. Amateur fight have three 3-minute rounds, while pros fight three 5-minute rounds.

Scoring

Judges and scoring became necessary to determine winners of bouts with time limits. The 10-point must scoring system was instituted and remain in effect. Scoring criteria is based on effective striking and grappling, overall octagon control and effective aggressiveness/defense. Judges must award more points for striking if a fight utilizes more striking than grappling. Overall control and effective aggressiveness/defense are considered after striking and grappling.

Equipment

Gloves, mouthpieces and groin protectors are mandatory. Shirts, GI's and shoes are not allowed. MMA shorts, bike, boxing and kickboxing shorts or pants are the only trunks allowed.

Gloves are mandatory. Unlike boxing, HFC gloves are designed to protect the hand, but not large enough to improve the striking surface or weight of a punch. Only commission approved gloves, weighing between four and six ounces are allowed.

Ring

HFC uses a 20 x 20-foot regulation boxing ring.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

MMA is a universal sport that combines techniques from a variety of combative sport disciplines including boxing, wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu, kickboxing, karate and others. MMA techniques can be broken down into two categories: striking and grappling. Types of strikes permitted include blows with hands, feet, and knees. Grappling involves submissions, chokeholds, throws and takedowns. Some form of Olympic sport allows nearly all techniques used in HFC competition. Today's fighters are skilled in many martial arts, an aspect due in part to the evolution of the sport. No single discipline reigns.