Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission

Programs

Scott Bowler | Director

801-538-8607 | sbowler@utah.gov

Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission

U.C.A. 63N-10

The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission (PSUAC) provides a safe, healthy environment for combat sports in Utah.

Strategic Plan

— Actively pursue ongoing training and updated technology to ensure an efficient and effective administration of competition rules. — Increase efforts to establish new promotions and assist existing promotions to develop business strategies that ensure success. — Develop a new, efficient online licensing program for athletes, promoters and officials. An online system could reduce the workload of PSUAC by as much as 25% to 30%.

Accomplishments and Outcomes

— Mixed martial arts, boxing, and kickboxing events have increased in both number of events and the number of athletes participating within the state. — BiBella Boxing Promotions held two World Title bouts in Utah that were televised worldwide and drew the largest boxing crowd Salt Lake City has seen in years. — Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) brought two events to the Beehive State, which generated a considerable amount of media attention and revenue.

Challenges

The development and implementation of a safe and healthy competition environment that follows the Utah Department of Health Services guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic will require constant updates on the latest safety protocols in an ever-changing industry. For the duration of the pandemic, the “Unarmed Combat” sports community will have many inherent safety issues unique to boxing and mixed martial arts.

The development and implementation of an online licensing system still presents a unique challenge because of our dependence on existing systems developed by the Utah Division of Occupational & Professional Licensing. Customizing a system to meet the Athletic Commission’s needs will be a lengthy process requiring the Utah Department of Technology Services’ assistance.

Events in the state of Utah are booked at the will of the promoters. We will focus on educating non-Utah promoters about the social and economic advantages of conducting business in Utah.

Goals

The PSUAC is fully committed to ensuring that participants (and fans when safe and appropriate) return to a healthy space for competition and entertainment.

PSUAC will continue building on the momentum of 2020 by developing programs that incentivize promoters to bring events to Utah and provide support to existing promotions to help them more financially solvent.