Combat Sports Law

Today Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and the Nevada State Athletic Commission agreed to a 6 month suspension for the boxer who violated the State’s anti doping standards by ingesting Clenbuterol. Alvarez claimed the positive drug test could be traced back to tainted Mexican beef.  As previously discussed Nevada regulations allow for reduced penalties and even no … More Canelo Alvarez and NSAC Agree to 6 Month Suspension for “Tainted Beef” Clenbuterol Finding

A recent trend in Mixed Martial Arts is fighters failing an anti-doping test, being exonerated (or at least minimizing punishment) by tracing the source back to tainted supplements and then suing the supplement manufacturer. Lyman Good filed such a suit in 2017 as did Tim Means.  Earlier this year Yoel Romero also filed such a lawsuit.  … More Josh Barnett Latest UFC Fighter To Sue Supplement Company Following Positive Doping Test

Update – Michael Mazzulli, the Director of the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation and the current President of the Association of Boxing Commissions has shared the following views about Wyoming legalizing Bare Knuckle Boxing “As president of the ABC, I am not personally in favor of Bare Knuckle Boxing, but if it exists, then surely regulation … More First US State Sanctioned Bare Knuckle Boxing Event Since 1889 Announced

Karate Combat, a self described full contact professional karate league, was launched today.  The effort was supported by pioneer mixed martial artists Bas Rutten and Chuck Liddell who are listed as “League Ambassadors”. They released fight footage from its “pre-season” event which took place in Budapest, Hungary. The leagues rules and regulations were also published … More Bas Rutten and Chuck Liddell Help Launch Professional Karate Fighting League

In what I believe is the first US State Athletic Commission to legalize the sport of bare knuckle boxing, the Wyoming Combat Sports Commission has just published rules for “Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting”. The following press release was published on their site: The rules allow contestants to wear gauze and tape but this is not … More Breaking – Wyoming Legalizes Professional Bare Knuckle Fighting

It has now widely been reported that Canelo Alvarez tested positive for ingesting the banned substance Clenbuterol ahead of his scheduled May 5 rematch with Gennady Golovkin. The failed drug tests were conducted out-of-competition taken through the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.  Samples tested on February 17th and 20th were positive for the substance. VADA does not hand … More A Look at the Legal Landscape for Canelo Alvarez’s NSAC Doping Hearing

Today USADA announced that an independent arbitrator handed veteran MMA fighter Josh Barnett a reprimand after testing positive for ostarine following an out-of-competition test conducted on December 9, 2016. The drug was traced back to a contaminated supplement. USADA argued for a lengthy suspension trying to hold Barnett’s past doping violations against him. The arbitrator dismissed … More Josh Barnett Handed Public Reprimand After Doping Violation Traced Back to Contaminated Product

In a move that should be noted by all combat sports organizations in Ontario, the Government passed legislation imposing concussion protocols in the Province. The legislation, named Rowan’s Law (Concussion Safety), was passed in honour of Rowan Stringer, a 17-year-old rugby player who died following sustaining multiple concussions. The law impacts ‘sport organizations‘ a broad … More Ontario Passes Concussion Safety Law for Amateur Sports