No contest is a very technical term employed in some popular combat sports as a reference to a fight which ends with no winner or loser, without some type of “decision” (no contest). The idea carried over into professional wrestling, where in most cases, it’s far more frequent, scripted, designed to further a feud, create heat and/ or protect a championship push. This can also be applied to MMA, as many times the no-contest rule is ignored. Some fighters, generally the bigger and stronger ones, intentionally lose matches to make their opponent feel forced to fight him or her longer or harder, to keep the belt on the open market.
The simplest explanation of what does no contest mean is that it doesn’t mean a win: It means that you voluntarily accept a draw (or lose by forfeit) to remain ranked number one. If you are ranked #2, you can still request a draw, but there is no guarantee that they will accept your request. You can still request a no-contest hearing, but that means admitting guilt to whatever offense caused the draw.
There are two different ways that the requesting fighter can plead guilty to avoid a draw: First, you can state in your plea that you are not guilty as charged, but refuse to enter a draw. This type of pleading is popular in criminal courtrooms because it allows the judge to deal with the offense in isolation from the rest of the case. The judge can decide if you should be placed in jail, have your wages garnished, receive probation, fines, community service, or whatever. This kind of guilty plea is rare in the criminal court system.
The second form of what does no contest mean: is that you admit guilt to the drawing but refuse to take a draw. In this case, you still might end up with a suspended sentence, but it won’t involve jail time, fines, probation, or anything other than probation. Your plea will be officially guilty until the trial has ended and a verdict has been reached.
Both of these types of pleas can be used in criminal court: so if you find yourself in this situation, you should know what you are doing. Before you enter your guilty plea, ask a lawyer if this option is available to you. While some cases do not allow it, almost every court system allows it for some type of criminal defense. If in doubt, talk to a lawyer to find out what the rules are for your state.
The basic idea behind both types of pleas is to avoid a trial and go to jail: A guilty plea might not result in a trial, but at least you will avoid a sentence and going to jail. If you are not sure about what does no contest mean, call a criminal lawyer to find out. This might save you from spending time in jail.