Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission
OVERVIEW The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission (PSUAC) was established under the Utah Professional Athletic Commission Act became law in July 2001. The fiver-member Commission, appointed by the Governor and Legislature, regulates professional boxing and other amateur and professional unarmed combat sports including boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA). Promoters, managers, contestants, seconds, referees and judges are licensed under the Act and subsequent statute revisions and rules. Fees are intended to cover cost of protecting the health and welfare of contestants and regulating events within the State. The commission is named after the late Utah State Senator Eliud “Pete” Suazo. Pete Suazo was an advocate for youth and minorities in the state and a boxing enthusiast. More information about Senator Suazo’s life can be found in the article “La Voz de los Otros”: An Overview of the Life and Career of Eliud “Pete” Suazo, Utah’s First Hispanic State Senator, 1951-2001, written by Jorge Iber and published in the Spring 2008 Utah Historical Quarterly. The PSUAC regulates and oversees nearly 70 unarmed combat events per year. Attendance at these events varies from about 100 spectators to over 5,000 spectators attending large events. This last year, we were disappointed to see the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) cancel its proposed MMA show in Salt Lake City, but we continue to encourage the UFC and other major out of state to schedule future unarmed combat events in Utah. Two Utah MMA athletes were successful in signing contracts with the UFC after successful appearances in the Ultimate Fighter championships. During the past year, Mark Burnett Productions filmed its third season of the popular “Bully Beat Down” reality television show that is broadcast on the MTV cable network and provided support to local film production businesses in Utah.
For additional information about the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission visit www.business.utah.gov or contact Bill Colbert, Commission Director, at bcolbert@utah.gov or 801-538-8876.
G o v e r n o r ’s O ff i c e o f E c o n o m i c D e v e l o p m e n t • A n n u a l R e p o r t 2 0 1 0 • w w w. b u s i n e s s . u t a h . g o v
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