(a) The commission shall adopt rules governing professional boxing, professional bare knuckle boxing, tough man contests, amateur mixed martial arts, and professional mixed martial arts to establish the following:
(1) Procedures to evaluate the professional records and physician certifications of each participant in a match, contest, or exhibition of professional boxing, professional bare knuckle boxing, tough man contests, amateur mixed martial arts, and professional mixed martial arts and to deny authorization for a professional boxer, professional bare knuckle boxer, tough man contestant, amateur mixed martial arts competitor, or professional mixed martial arts competitor to fight where appropriate.
(2) Procedures to ensure that, except as otherwise provided in subsection (c) of Section 41-9-1032, no professional boxer, professional bare knuckle boxer, amateur mixed martial arts competitor, or professional mixed martial arts competitor shall be permitted to participate while under suspension from any state boxing or athletic commission because of any of the following:
a. A recent knockout, technical knockout, or series of consecutive losses.
b. An injury, requirement for a medical procedure, or physician's denial of certification.
c. Failure of a drug test.
d. The use of false aliases or falsifying official identification cards or document.
e. Other reasons as determined by the commission.
(3) Procedures to report to the boxing registry the results of all professional matches, contests, or exhibitions of boxing held in this state or being supervised by the commission and any related suspensions.
(b)(1) Drug tests, as provided in paragraph c. of subdivision (2) of subsection (a), shall be conducted in accordance with the most recent list of prohibited substances and pursuant to the methods outlined by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Drug tests shall include both in-competition testing and out-of-competition testing, as applicable.
(2) To affirm or disprove the presence of a prohibited substance detected in the primary specimen sample, a competitor who is accused of violating the drug testing policy shall be given the option of having tested a secondary specimen sample, collected at the same time as the primary specimen sample, if available.
(3) A violation of the drug testing policy shall constitute a civil violation punishable pursuant to guidelines provided in Section 41-9-1034, by a suspension of licensure and a civil fine not to exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), together with a percentage of the purse not to exceed 15 percent, for each violation.
(4) The Administrative Procedure Act shall govern all matters and procedures respecting the hearing and judicial overview of any contested case.
Last modified: May 3, 2021