Combat sports in Tennessee will be regulated for the foreseeable future after a scare earlier this year.
New legislation was passed this week to extend the Tennessee Athletic Commission until 2017, according to a press release sent out Thursday. The commission was in danger of being disbanded July 1, rendering MMA and boxing in the state unregulated and possibly even illegal.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike Bell, eliminated obsolete provisions in the Tennessee Athletic Commission Act without changing the purpose of overseeing combat sports in the state, according to the release. There is one caveat: the promoter must now pay out of its own pocket for things like referees and ringside doctors.