The UFC has announced a workaround for oversight of its Freedom 250 card on the south lawn of the White House in June.
While occurring in Washington, D.C., the show is not going to be regulated by the DC Combat Sports Commission; the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) will be the regulator of the event.
The White House is on federal land and, therefore, is not technically under the jurisdiction of the commission.
ABC president Timothy Shipman announced on Thursday:
As the event is being held on federal property, there is no requirement for the UFC to select a state athletic commission to oversee the event.
The UFC expresses its commitment to ensuring that this event is among the most thoroughly regulated in the history of the sport and has requested that the ABC serve as an independent third party to assist in assembling the most qualified group of judges, referees, and inspectors in the world.
The UFC has further confirmed that it will abide by all applicable regulatory requirements in support of this event, including all required medical examinations, pre-bout and post-bout physicals, and athlete safety protocols. All bouts on this card are officially licensed and sanctioned contests.
This has led to questions about this tactic by the UFC, as the ABC is not technically a sanctioning body and has drawn the ire of DC commission chairman Andrew Huff in a statement to Theo Lander of SevereMMA.com:
The ABC is not a sanctioning body and has no authority in the District of Columbia. 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.
The ABC would not provide answers to questions by Lander regarding its decision to oversee the event and whether it sets a precedent for future shows on federal land.
The June 14 event will feature six fights on the south lawn and will occur on the eightieth birthday of Donald Trump.
