The New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (SACB) regulates all contests and exhibitions of

unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range (grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons.Hunsicker, A., ''Advanced Skills in ...

within the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers,

kickboxer Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighters, seconds, ring officials, managers, and matchmakers. The Commission is the final authority on

licensing A license (American English) or licence ( Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another par ...

matters, having the ability to approve, deny, revoke, or suspend all licenses for unarmed combat. The State Athletic Control Board was established by the Legislature in 1985 to ensure that all public boxing and other combative sports exhibitions, events, performances and contests are subject to an effective and efficient system of strict control and regulation. The Board's main purpose is to protect the safety and well being of all participants and promote the public confidence and trust in the regulatory process and conduct of public boxing and other combative sports. Formerly part of the

New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement The New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) is a governmental agency in the U.S. state of New Jersey that was established in 1977 under the Casino Control Act, N.J.S.A. to ensure the integrity of the casino gaming industry, including spor ...

, the SACB is now a self-contained board within the Department of Law & Public Safety under the direction of the

Office of the Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

MMA Rules

The current rules for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

were originally established by the New Jersey Athletic Control Board. The ''

Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts Most rule sets for mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions have evolved since the early days of Vale Tudo. As a result of health, legal, and moral concerns, many different rulesets were created, which give different countries and promotions very dif ...

'' that New Jersey established has been adopted in other states that regulate mixed martial arts, including

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

and

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. These rules are also used by many other promotions within the United States and are mandatory for those states that have adopted the Unified Rules, and so have become the standard ''de facto'' set of rules for professional mixed martial arts across North America and Europe.

Commissioners

Larry Hazzard, a former boxing referee, served as commissioner from 1985 to 2007. Aaron Davis served as commissioner from 2008 to 2014, when he was replaced by Larry Hazzard, who returned for a second stint as commissioner.Idec, Keith
"Heights' Rodriguez earns 4th-round TKO"
''

Herald News The ''Herald News'' is a daily broadsheet newspaper headquartered in Woodland Park, New Jersey, that focuses on the Passaic County, New Jersey area. Today's ''Herald News'' is descended from several papers, but did not come to be until two ...

'', October 5, 2014. Accessed September 5, 2022, via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

. "Saturday's card marked the ringside return of Larry Hazzard, commissioner of New Jersey's State Athletic Control Board. Hazzard, 69, officially returned to his government-appointed position Sept. 22, nearly seven years after he was unceremoniously removed from it without explanation. The Newark native and Montclair State graduate previously served as commissioner of the SACB, which regulates boxing and mixed martial arts in New Jersey, from 1985-2007. A 2010 inductee into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, Hazzard replaced Aaron Davis, who replaced Hazzard in 2008."

References

External links

* {{authority control Boxing in New Jersey Athletic Control Board Government agencies established in 1985 Athletic commissions in the United States 1985 establishments in New Jersey

MMA Rules

Commissioners

See also

References

External links