Update July 22, 2021 – Today Colorado’s Office of Combative Sports replied to my open records request. They confirm that One Championship rules have been approved in the State which indeed clear the way for the promoter to hold an event with knees to a grounded opponent. Below is the full reply of the commission’s … More One Championship (And Knees To Grounded Opponents) Coming to Colorado?

Earlier this month Nevada and Kansas became the latest jurisdictions to either remove or stop testing for marijuana metabolites as banned substances in combat sports. Today the Nevada State Athletic Commission provided me with a copy of an internal memorandum explaining their legal authority and reasoning behind this decision. The memo, authorized by Nevada’s Senior … More Nevada Outlines Legal Reasoning For Removing Cannabis From Banned Substances

Today the Nevada Athletic Commission removed marijuana from its list of banned substances. Following the path blazed by other commissions which started with the precedent set by medical user and advocate Elias Theodorou in British Columbia, the commission is moving to an impairment test. If a fighter is impaired they cannot compete. Other than that … More Nevada and Kansas Remove Marijuana as PED Moving to Impairment as Sole Concern

This week I had the pleasure of making a guest appearance on Dr. Yared Vazquez’s YouTube channel where we discussed the viral Joe Schilling bar knockout of another patron. We tackle some of the legal, medical and most importantly practical issues at play. Enjoy!

In the UFC antitrust lawsuit that has been before the courts for the better part of a decade the presiding judge indicated that class certification would likely be granted for professional mixed martial artists who competed in one or more live professional UFC-promoted MMA bouts taking place or broadcast in the United States from December … More Kajan Johnson and C.B. Dollaway Look to Add Potentially $1 Billion of Further UFC Antitrust Damages

A few years back I started documenting the legality of bare knuckle boxing which was first legalized by a State athletic commission in 2019 and had several other jurisdictions follow suit all with their own unique legal and regulatory framework. Bare knuckle mixed martial arts is now making a similar comeback and appears to be … More Documenting the Legality of Bare Knuckle Mixed Martial Arts

CombatSportsLaw was proud to once again sponsor up and coming pro MMA Fighter Serena DeJesus! DeJesus headlined this past weekend’s card promoted by Fusion Fight League and secured a victory over her UFC veteran opponent Elizabeth Phillips. Congratulations Serena! Serena is the first professional female MMA fighter diagnosed with autism. She is an inspiration to … More Congratulations Serena DeJesus!

Last month Renan Ferreira and Fabricio Werdum were involved in a fight with a controversial ending at a PFL event hosted in Atlantic City. Werdum had Ferreira in a triangle choke. Ferreira possibly tapped but the referee either did not see or did not believe it to be a tap and the bout continued with … More New Jersey Releases Reasons for Werdum v. Ferreira “No Decision” Appeal

Just a quick regulatory blast from the past. I recently finished reading Tris Dixon’s “Damage” (No this is not a sponsored post). I can’t say enough good things about this very sober and very real discussion about an important topic – long term brain trauma in boxing. If interested in my thoughts you can check … More First Time An Athletic Commission Refused to Licence A Fighter For Too Much “Mileage”?

Diego Sanchez’s former manager Joshua Fabia has been creating no shortage of controversy. In one of his latest escapades around the time of the Sanchez relationship breakdown he suggested the Nevada Athletic Commission “comes in and leans on Diego, and he has to throw a f—ng fight. Now, I have them recorded“. Suggesting a regulator … More Has Joshua Fabia Crossed the Regulatory Line?