LOS ANGELES — The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has fired its first salvo against unsanctioned events in its state.
CSAC executive officer Andy Foster said Tuesday during the commission’s meeting that he would ignore victories obtained in unsanctioned events when he’s vetting the matchmaking of CSAC-regulated promotions. If all of a fighters’ wins have come in unsanctioned shows, CSAC will treat that fighter like he or she is making his or her pro debut and that fighter will not be able to compete against a more experienced opponent.
In theory, this will make it more difficult for a fighter who competes at unsanctioned events to make a direct jump to a major organization like the UFC or Bellator.
“If you’ve done all your fights against fake record people, you’re starting at nothing,” Foster said.
The commission will also be looking into other alternatives to curb the practice of fighters competing at unsanctioned events with the hopes of building their résumé against seemingly untrained opponents with records like 1-16 and 0-22.
CSAC will explore legal options into disciplinary action against licensees who compete at unsanctioned events and attempt to work with the Association of Boxing Commissions to reach out to the Native American reservations that host these shows. The commission will also consider upping the medical testing requirements of fighters who compete in unsanctioned events and then attempt to fight in a CSAC show.
The issue of unsanctioned events was brought to CSAC’s attention by the viral video of a particularly brutal knockout at Xplode Fight Series in January. Ilima MacFarlane, a trained and talented fighter out of San Diego Combat Academy, viciously knocked out Katie Castro in just 10 seconds. Castro, who looked ill prepared and not trained for a fight, was dubbed a “soccer mom” (even though she is not) by blogs. Castro had an 0-2 record coming into the fight with both losses coming via TKO in fewer than 30 seconds.
Fighters, managers and coaches told MMA Fighting in a three-part investigative piece that Xplode Fight Series did not require any medical exams or blood work from its competitors and deliberately sets up egregious mismatches.
XFS owner Gregg Sharp maintains that his standards are similar to sanctioned, regional shows across the country and that he does require things like blood work and medicals. Sharp told MMA Fighting on Sunday that he is in the process of bringing aboard a third-party sanctioning body for his next event Sept. 19.
Promotions like Xplode Fight Series and Gladiator Challenge skirt state athletic commission regulation by running events on Native American reservations. CSAC cannot regulate a show on a reservation unless explicitly invited by the tribe. Sharp said he has considered using CSAC to regulate his events, but commission sanctioning is too expensive.
The Association of Boxing Commissions, which oversees the state athletic commissions, recommends a 120-day suspension for fighters who compete on unsanctioned shows, but actual regulations are dependent on the legislation of the respective state.
