SB1679 Summary

• Changes chapter and article headings in Title 5, Chapter 2 from "Boxing and Sparring" to "Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts" and establishes the "Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission."

• Adds "combatant" as a defined term for any person practicing unarmed combat sports and updates terminology throughout the statute to replace "contestant" and "boxer" with "combatant" where applicable.

• Establishes mixed martial arts regulation under the commission, requiring combatants to follow unified rules or alternative rules approved by another U.S. jurisdiction, with specific restrictions on striking to spinal column, back of head, and limitations on amateur techniques including elbows to head of grounded opponents.

• Modifies medical examination requirements for combatants, including stress tests for those 38 years or older, brain MRI for those 40 years or older, and establishes that medical exam results expire 365 days after the examination is performed.

• Clarifies licensing requirements, establishes uniform nonrefundable fees for boxing and mixed martial arts events, and increases civil penalty for positive alcohol/drug tests from $500 to up to $500 with immediate suspension or revocation authority.