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

unarmed combat Hand-to-hand combat (sometimes abbreviated as HTH or H2H) 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 weapons.Huns ...

within the state of

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers,

kickboxer Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

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

licensing A license (or licence) 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 party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

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.

MMA Rules

The current rules for the

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

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 U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

and

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. 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 Larry Hazzard Sr. (born 7 December 1944) is a former amateur boxer, boxing referee, athletic control board commissioner, teacher and actor. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, being inducted during 2010. Hazzard has served as ...

, 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 Pass ...

'', 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. In November 2018, ...

. "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