UFC’s White House plan sparks clash with DC regulators
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC The UFC’s upcoming event at the White House has already brought with it a number of issues, many of them tied to its unusual setting. There were early concerns that these fights might not be added to fighters’ official records, as the DC Combat Sports Commission hadn’t been asked to oversee the card. On Thursday, UFC responded by bringing in the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) as an independent body to licence and sanction all bouts on the card.
This move cleared up some questions about regulation, but not everyone is satisfied. Andrew Huff, chairman of the DC CSC, isn’t entirely happy with how things have unfolded. Andrew Huff unhappy with UFC’s approach Photo by Ed Mulholland/Zuffa LLC In the release, the promotion explained that since ‘Freedom Fights 250’ is taking place on federal property, it doesn’t need state athletic commission oversight.
But while that may be true on paper, Huff isn’t comfortable with how the UFC has chosen to handle things, especially with the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) stepping in. Speaking to SevereMMA about the press release, Huff voiced concerns about what this decision might mean going forward. “The ABC is not a sanctioning body and has no authority in the District of Columbia,” he said.
“While I am relieved to learn that an additional organization will maintain some sort of oversight of the UFC White House event, I am disappointed that the ABC, which represents Commissions across the United States, including in the District of Columbia, has chosen to ignore our Commission’s laws and authority. It sets a dangerous precedent for all commissions and the industry as a whole. ” Huff added that he hadn’t heard back from Marc Ratner, vice president of regulatory affairs at UFC when he reached out about fights being unsanctioned.
The last time Huff spoke with Ratner was in November last year. But his staff didn’t find out until last month that they wouldn’t be involved in overseeing this particular event. “The right thing to do is to work with us,” Huff told SevereMMA before news broke about ABC’s involvement.