Alabama adopts MMA legislation

Sakara=Excitement · 02-24-2010, 09:37 AM

Alabama adopts MMA legislation | MMAjunkie.com

Quote:

UFC president Dana White took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the news: Alabama is the latest U.S. state to adopt mixed-martial-arts legislation.

The MMA regulation actually comes less than a year after Alabama passed a bill to create a state boxing commission to oversee MMA's sister sport.

The recently created Alabama Boxing Commission will be renamed the Alabama Athletic Commission and will now oversee pro and amateur MMA events in the state.

Rep. Spencer Collier (R-Irvington) introduced the bill earlier this month to the House Tourism and Travel Committee, which approved the measure. Rep. Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale), who introduced the boxing legislation in 2009, co-sponsored the MMA efforts.

Events (such as Adrenaline MMA III in 2009) previously have been held in the state, though no sanctioning body was involved in the shows. Alabama joins states such as Wisconsin, Maine, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Massachusetts, which have also recently adopted MMA legislation.

The MMA regulation opens the doors for organizations such as the UFC, WEC and Strikeforce to hold major shows in Alabama.

With Alabama now set, the UFC and other MMA supporters will turn their efforts to the few remaining holdouts such as New York, West Virginia, Connecticut, South Dakota and Vermont.