This glossary explains the combat sports event terms clubs, gyms and promoters use most often when running boxing, Muay Thai, MMA and kickboxing shows. Each definition is short and plain-English, with a link to a deeper guide where there is one. If you organise fight nights or interclubs, these are the words that turn up on entry forms, bout sheets and event-day briefings.
What is a fight card?
A fight card is the official, ordered list of bouts scheduled for a single combat sports event. Each entry names the two fighters, their clubs, the discipline and ruleset, the agreed weight and the number of rounds, usually split into a main event, co-main and undercard. It is both the sporting record of approved bouts and the operational running order for the night. See the full guide on how to build a fight card.
What is a bout sheet?
A bout sheet is the printed or shareable document generated from a confirmed fight card. It lists each bout in running order with the details officials, coaches, medics and corner teams need on the night — fighters, clubs, weights, rounds and discipline. When the card changes, the bout sheet should be regenerated so everyone works from the latest version. See the bout sheet generator guide.
What is an interclub?
An interclub is a low-pressure event where fighters from different gyms meet to gain experience, usually with lighter rules, headguards and no formal records or winners. Interclubs are common in boxing, Muay Thai and kickboxing as a development step before competitive bouts. They still need fighter entries, matchups and waivers organised cleanly across multiple clubs. See the interclub event guide.
What is matchmaking?
Matchmaking is the process of pairing fighters into safe, fair bouts using weight, experience, age, discipline and coach judgement. Software can organise the data and suggest possible pairings, but a matchmaker, promoter or coach reviews and approves every bout before it goes on the card. See the fight night matchmaking guide.
What is a weigh-in?
A weigh-in is the check, before the event, that each fighter is at or within the agreed weight for their bout. Recording weigh-in results against each fighter confirms who made weight, flags mismatches early and keeps the card accurate up to the first bell.
What is white collar boxing?
White collar boxing is amateur, novice-level boxing for adults — often professionals from outside the sport — typically run as charity or corporate events. Bouts use protective rules and the focus is on a safe, well-organised experience rather than records. See the white collar boxing software use case.
What is a smoker?
A smoker is an informal, in-house or invitational sparring event, similar in spirit to an interclub. Smokers give fighters competitive experience in a controlled setting and still benefit from organised entries, matchups and waivers.
What are the undercard and main event?
The main event is the headline bout an event is built around; the co-main supports it; and the undercard is the run of earlier bouts that build towards the headline. The split shapes the running order — novice and developmental bouts often sit earlier, with showcase or title bouts later.
What is sanctioning?
Sanctioning is official approval and oversight of an event or bout by a governing body or association, covering rules, safety, officials and sometimes medicals and insurance. Requirements vary by sport and country, so always follow your governing body, medical and venue rules — software like Blue6 handles the admin, not the sanctioning.
Blue6 helps clubs and promoters put these into practice — collecting fighter entries, reviewing matchups, tracking waivers and weigh-ins, and generating bout sheets from the confirmed card. Explore event management software or read how to run a fight night.