(a) All combatants of professional unarmed combat contests, promoters, managers, matchmakers, seconds, ringside physicians and any other ring official shall be licensed by the commission. No person shall participate, directly or indirectly, in any professional contest of unarmed combat unless the person has first applied for and received a license from the commission.
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Terms Used In Tennessee Code 68-115-204

  • Amateur: means a person who has never competed in an unarmed combat sport competition or contest for any purse or item of value, other than for a prize or item of value that does not exceed fifty dollars ($50. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Application fee: means the fee due at the time an application for a license is submitted to the commission. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Commission: means the Tennessee athletic commission. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Contest: means an unarmed combat sport competition or exhibition in which at least one (1) of the combatants is a professional or has previously competed as a professional in this state or any other state or in which licensed combatants compete for a purse or item of value greater than that amount authorized pursuant to subdivision (1) for an amateur event. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Person: means and includes individuals, corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships or associations, domestic and foreign. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Professional: means a person who competes or has competed in an unarmed combat sport contest for the purpose of a purse or item of value greater than that amount authorized for an amateur event, or any person who has been previously licensed in any other jurisdiction as a professional. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Promoter: means any person who produces, stages or sponsors any professional contest of unarmed combat. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Ring official: means any person who performs any one (1) or more of the following official functions during the progress of a professional contest of unarmed combat:
    (A) "Announcer" means a person authorized to act as an announcer at professional contests of unarmed combat. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
  • Unarmed combat: means and includes boxing, mixed martial arts and kickboxing as defined and regulated under this chapter. See Tennessee Code 68-115-102
(b) The commission shall establish license fees for professional combatants, promoters, managers, matchmakers, seconds, ringside physicians and any other ring official who shall be licensed by the commission in regulated unarmed combat contests and shall have the authority to establish any fees deemed necessary for professional contests held within this state. Failure to pay the fees shall be cause for denial of the application.
(c) License applications shall be in writing on forms prescribed by the commission and shall correctly identify the applicant. Licenses shall be valid for two (2) years from the date of issuance. Applicants for the license shall pay a biennial license fee to be fixed by the commission on a uniform scale and a fifty-dollar nonrefundable application fee.
(d) The commission may deny an application for a license.
(e) Before any promoter‘s license is granted, the applicant shall file a bond in an amount fixed by the commission, but not less than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), executed by the applicant as principal, and by a corporation qualified under the laws of this state as surety, payable to this state, and conditioned upon the faithful performance by the applicant of this chapter.
(f) A person who has failed to pay any reportable fee or tax due the commission shall not be issued a promoter’s license or have a promoter’s license renewed. This subsection (f) shall also apply to a corporation, limited liability company or a partnership for which the person was an officer, managing member or member.
(g) This section shall not apply to amateur sanctioning organizations or amateur combatants.
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