The Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission is responsible for the promotion and coordination of all state-regulated unarmed combat events, including professional boxing, all mixed martial arts, kickboxing and other unarmed combat events, with the exception of wrestling and soft contact martial arts.
During the 2015 General Session, the Legislature appropriated for Fiscal Year 2016, $226,700 from all sources for Pete Suazo Utah Athletics Commission. This is a 36.3 percent reduction from Fiscal Year 2015 revised estimated amounts from all sources. The total includes $161,500 from the General/Education Funds, an increase of 2.3 percent from revised Fiscal Year 2015 estimates.
UCA 63C-11-201 provides the statutory authority for the Pete Suazo Utah Athletics Commission. The statute sets up the following provisions:
Structure
- Seven Members: three appointed by the Governor, two appointed by the President of the Senate, two appointed by the Speaker of the House.
- The Commission elects its chair.
- Members serve four year terms. However the appointments are staggered so that new appointments are made every two years.
- Members receive per diem.
- Three members of the Authority constitute a quorum.
Powers and Duties
- Hires a director that is not a member of the commission
- Affiliates with a tribal boxing commission or athletic authority
- Issues unarmed combat licenses and makes rules concerning license requirements.
- Establishes classifications of officials by rule.
- Establishes license renewal intervals by rule.
- Denies, suspends, or revokes an unarmed combat license for cause.
- Establishes weight classes by rule.
- Establishes wait times between contest by rule.
- Permits a contestant to fight another contestant from a different weight class.
- Permits elimination of unarmed combat contests.
The PSUAC is funded by appropriations from the General Fund. The program also receives dedicated credit revenues for operational support.
COBI contains unaudited data as presented to the Legislature by state agencies at the time of publication. For audited financial data see the State of Utah's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports.