Mixed Martial Arts Law Blog : Mixed Martial Arts Lawyer & Attorney : David Nelmark : Belin Lamson McCormick Zumbach Flynn Law Firm : Intellectual Property, Media Law : Des Moines, Iowa

On March 9, 2010, the Iowa House passed Senate File 2286 (regulating amateur mixed martial arts) with one key amendment.   Amendment H-8277 added language that puts under the auspices of the regulations any MMA event where "merchandise or refreshments are available for purchase."

The original language of SF 2286 governed any MMA event "open to the public."  This was amended by the Senate to be limited to events where admission is charged or donations are requested.  This was an important change because, in the absence of such language, exhibition matches at local gyms could have, unintentionally, fallen within the scope of the statute. 

The new amendment by the House closes a loophole that would have allowed promoters to stage unregulated, public amateur fights by hosting them at venues where the money would be made by selling food and beer rather than tickets.   

Because the House amended the bill, it now returns to the Senate.  I anticipate quick passage, which would put the bill on the Governor's desk to sign.   One possible snag is that some people are lobbying for an additional amendment that would remove the requirement for promoters to provide health/life insurance for fighters.   If the Senate removed that requirement, the bill would then have to come back to the House as both chambers of the legislature must pass identical versions for it to ultimately become law.

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On February 16, 2010, the Iowa Senate unanimously passed (with two Senators absent) Senate File 2286--a bill to regulate amateur and professional mixed martial arts matches.  There were two notable amendments to the bill between its previous approval by the Committee on Business and Labor Relations and its approval by the full Senate. 

First, the definition of "mixed martial arts match" was changed from one that is just "open to the public" to also requiring "payment of an admission fee" or donations requested from those in attendance.   This prevents, for example, a training match at a jiu-jitsu school from falling under the auspices of the bill.   The second change was that the minimum age for competing in a mixed martial arts event was changed from 21 to 18. 

Senator William A. Dotzler, Jr. should be commended for listening to concerns that promoters and fighters had about the earlier version of the bill, and for submitting the above amendments prior to the full Senate vote.  Iowa Athletic Commissioner David Neil also deserves kudos for listening to concerns and helping craft language to address them.

The bill still has to be passed by the House, but the 48-0 Senate vote certainly gives it a lot of momentum.  Although MMA has long been "legal" in Iowa, if the bill ultimately becomes law, Iowa will finally recognize and be able to regulate MMA as independent sport rather that shoehorning it into existing regulations governing "shootfighting."

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Amateur mixed martial arts matches are currently legal in Iowa, but they are not regulated.  A bill that has just been forwarded to the floor of the Iowa Senate would change that, putting amateur MMA under the auspices of the Athletic Commissioner (just like professional events).

On February 9, Senate Study Bill 3192 was unanimously approved by the Senate's Labor and Business Relations Committee.  The bill, which revises the existing Iowa Code Chapter governing boxing and professional wrestling events will now go to a vote by the full Iowa Senate, likely within the next 12 weeks.

As reported by Tony Leys of the Des Moines Register, proponents of the bill are concerned with several injuries that have occurred in amateur MMA events in Iowa.  Although the article's discussion of the terrible injury to Nebraska fighter Zach Kirk is not entirely accurate, there is no question that allowing fighters to compete without pre-fight medical examinations and without appropriate medical staff on site is a dangerous combination.

The bill does more than just impose safety regulations on fighters and promoters, however.  

The bill's other provisions include a new minimum age limit of 21 for participation in an amateur or professional MMA event.   

This is a departure from amateur boxing, where Iowa defers to the rules of USA Boxing, which has a junior olympic program for contestants as young as 8 years old.

In addition to opposing the new age limit, some critics of the bill say the medical testing regulations are too stringent.  As as example, some promoters believe that amateur MMA will cease to exist if unpaid fighters are forced to foot the bill for pre-fight blood tests, which typically cost at least $99.

As professional MMA is well on its way to becoming legal in nearly every state, I believe regulation of amateur MMA is the next big legal issue for the industry.   What do you think, MMALB readers?  Should amateur MMA be regulated?  If so, should it face all the same restrictions as professional events?

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