Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission

OVERVIEW U.C.A. 63C-11-101 The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission (PSUAC) was established when the Utah Professional Athletic Commission Act became law in July 2001. The five-member commission, which is 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 the 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 60 unarmed combat events per year. Attendance at these events varies from about 300 spectators to over 3,000 spectators attending large events.

Photo by Rob Norbutt

Daniel Gunn of the Pit Elevated makes his way into the cage at SteelFist Fights.

During the last year, we continued to see several Utah MMA athletes successfully compete in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Ultimate Fighter and other nationally acclaimed promotions. We also were fortunate to see Bellator, a major national promotion, hold the Bellator 90 MMA event at the Maverick Center in West Valley in February 2013. The event was nationally televised to an estimated 737,000 viewers and received and additional 473,000 viewers for its replay on Spike Television.

Photo by Rob Norbutt Samson Phommabout of Absolute MMA battles Ben Guymon for the win at SteelFist Fights.

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.