Combat Sports Law

Elias Theodorou died this week after privately battling cancer. He was far too young. Only 34 years old. One of Canada’s most accomplished MMA fighters earning more wins in the UFC than any other Canadian except for GSP. Elias made history. Multiple times. Earning the first ever cannabis therapeutic use exemption for a professional athlete … More Rest In Peace Mr. Theodorou

Just now Khamzat Chimaev missed weight for his main event with Nate Diaz by 7.5 pounds. The UFC claims the Nevada Commission is giving him a further hour to make weight. Folks, this is a mess. Let’s drill through some of the issues. A fighter cannot cut more than 2 pounds after missing weight in … More Let’s Talk Diaz, Khamzat and the Legal Mess in Nevada

My lawfirm, via combatsportslaw, was proud to sponsor badass Ukrainian fighter Olena Kolesnyk during this season’s Professional Fighters League run in the women’s lightweight bracket. Congratulations on a great showing and making it to the semifinals. A great run! And thank you for the social media shoutout. Looking forward to what’s next for you! The … More Congratulations to Olena Kolesnyk on her PFL Run!

(Fighters, the ABC will be creating their registration system for fighters who wish to participate on the Committee shortly. One easy way to stay informed is via the non profit Fighting Foundation who will update you once the ABC’s registration process is complete) ________________________________________________________ After hundreds of current and retired fighters signed an open letter … More Its Official! ABC Creates a “Fighters Committee”

This week the UFC issued a press release highlighting a new ‘footwear’ sponsorship between the promoter and an “innovative performance brand created by trailblazing global entertainer and entrepreneur Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson“. The shoe deal will presumably require fighters to wear these shoes/slides during their walk to the cage and perhaps beyond (ie fight week … More Fighters Reportedly Receiving $0.00 From New UFC Footwear Sponsorship

Adding to this site’s efforts to track the growing legality of Bare Knuckle Boxing, New Mexico has recently approved the sport. Title 15, Chapter 6, Part 19 came into force last year and sets out the framework for legal BKB in the land of enchantment. The full rules read as follows: TITLE 15             GAMBLING AND LIQUOR … More New Mexico Joins Jurisdictions With Legalized Bare Knuckle Boxing

At this year’s Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports annual conference changes to the unified rules of MMA were agreed to, namely up to 5 minutes of recovery time after eye pokes and clarity on the kind of joint coverings that can be used. The ABC has now published the updated version of their … More Latest MMA “Unified” Rules Now Published

Today retired MMA fighter published quite the tweet. I’ll let it speak for itself. If this was revealed in any major league sport it would be top news on ESPN, Sports Illustrated and probably major outlets outside of sports. But in MMA crickets. Let me break down the legal scandal in plain English. Managers represent … More Its High Time For Athletic Commissions to Dig Into MMA Manager Practices

Today the World Boxing Council published the below, self explanatory, statement on their view of transgender athletes in professional combat sports. If the topic is of interest, this year at the Association of Boxing Commissions and Combative Sports annual conference a lengthy presentation on the subject was given by Dr. Sethi who’s materials can be … More WBC Releases Statement/Guidelines Regarding Transgender Athletes in Combat Sports