During the recent annual meeting of the Association of Boxing Commissions, the membership recognized the need for a database to track the records, suspensions, (both medical and administrative) along with the identification of mixed martial arts contestants participating in the United States and Canada.

President Tim Lueckenhoff with the urging of the ABC membership appointed a committee chaired by Josef Mason, Colorado with additional members, Joe Miller, Oklahoma, Dale Kliparchuk, Edmonton, Aaron Davis, Kansas , Bernie Profato, Ohio and Kelly Farr, Georgia to develop a “Request for Proposal” from potential mixed martial arts, (MMA) record keepers.

The committee has been given some aggressive deadlines to meet in order to offer a contract to a record keeper by January 1, 2008. The ABC is no stranger to developing such proposals. The ABC in 2005 offered a five year contract to Fight Fax, Inc., to track the records and suspensions of boxers.

This committee has a huge task with the outcome to be monumental due to the enormous need to track the records of professional MMA contestants. While there is no federal law requiring commissions to uphold suspension, I suspect that each commission will voluntarily adhere to any medical or administrative suspension placed on a MMA contestant by a legally recognized commission.

In the very near future, the committee will release the stipulation of the “Request of Proposal.” The ABC welcomes all interested parties in vying for the contract to be the only certified mixed martial arts record keeper.

9-5-2007