UFC announced that it would be looking to the Association of Boxing Commissions for its upcoming Freedom 250 event at the White House, in a move that DC Combat Sports Commission Chairman Andrew Huff said sets a “dangerous precedent” for the industry.
The sanctioning dispute had somewhat clouded the upcoming card on June 14, with the possibility that the fights on the card wouldn’t be official, though this announcement may not dissipate all issues. Providing his statement on the UFC’s announcement, ABC President Timothy Shipman was quoted: “As the event is being held on federal property, there is no requirement for the UFC to select a state athletic commission to oversee the event.”
He continued, “UFC expresses its commitment to ensuring that this event is among the most thoroughly regulated in the history of the sport and has requested that the ABC serve as an independent third party to assist in assembling the most qualified judges, referees, and inspectors in the world. The UFC has further confirmed that it will abide by all applicable regulatory requirements in support of this event, including all required medical examinations, pre-bout and post-bout physicals, and athlete safety protocols. All bouts on this card are officially licensed and sanctioned contests.”
UFC’s Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell, and Marc Ratner, Senior Vice President of UFC’s Government and Regulatory Affairs, will collaborate with ABC on the details of he regulatory oversight for the event, per the announcement.
However, Huff told “SevereMMA” after the announcement that, “The ABC is not a sanctioning body and has no authority in the District of Columbia. While I am relieved to learn that an additional organization will maintain some sort of oversight of the UFC White House event, I am disappointed that the ABC, which represents Commissions across the United States, including in the District of Columbia, has chosen to ignore our Commission’s laws and authority. It sets a dangerous precedent for all commissions and the industry as a whole.”
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