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Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission
63N-10
Established in July 2001, the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission (PSUAC) regulates professional boxing and other amateur and professional unarmed combat sports including boxing, kickboxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) . The commission is named after the late Utah State Senator Eliud “Pete” Suazo, a boxing enthusiast and advocate for youth and minorities in the state. A five-member commission, appointed by the governor and legislature, oversees the commission .
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The commission licenses promoters, managers, contestants, seconds, referees and judges . Licensing fees offset the cost of protecting the health and welfare of contestants and regulating events within the state .
The PSUAC regulates and oversees about 50 unarmed combat events per year . Attendance at these events varies from about 200 to more than 8,000 spectators . The vast majority of unarmed combat events held in Utah are MMA .
FY 2016 Summary and Outcomes
• National media coverage of Resurrection Fighting Alliance vs Showdown Fights (Utah-based promoter) . This represents two of the most prestigious Mid-Major Mixed Martial Arts events coming together to co-promote in Orem . This event generated live coverage of the nation’s fastest rising MMA stars . • In June 2016, “Golden Boy Promotions” came to Utah to run 2016
Charity Vision “Round 2 .” The black-tie event raised more than $1 million to restore sight to people in developing countries worldwide . The match between world-famous boxers Oscar De La Hoya and Mario
Lopez generated national media coverage . • FY 2016 saw the booking of the largest Mixed Martial Arts organization in the world, the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), which made its Utah debut August 6, 2016 at the Vivint Smart Home Arena .
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 .
For additional information about the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission, visit www .business .utah .gov or contact Scott Bowler at sbowler@utah .gov or 801-538-8876 .
