Larry Hazzard
Published by on November 19th, 2007 in HOF

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Larry Hazzard’s background was in boxing; he was a premier referee for many years, then the executive head of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB). He presided over countless major events in Atlantic City casinos, including numerous world championship fights, and has also overseen scores of mixed martial arts events, including the first UFC show to be held under the Zuffa regime and the kick-off of the International Fight League.

Well beyond that, however, Hazzard’s influence over the modern world of MMA is enduring, and unquestioned. In April of 2001, under Hazzard’s leadership, a “summit meeting” of MMA promoters was held in New Jersey, where Hazzard pushed through a set of “Unified Rules” for MMA combat, laying out an orderly and acceptable way for the sport to be governed into the future.

They called for certain activities, such as head butts, groin strikes, gouging, etc. to be banned universally, established weight divisions, rounds and limits for bouts. They also ushered in mandatory padded gloves for each match. These rules were eventually adopted across the board, due in no small measure to the force of Hazzard’s personality, but also in part because the political atmosphere surrounding MMA was such that the sport was banished from many states and from major system operators who had previously carried MMA events on pay-per-view.

Just as Teddy Roosevelt stepped in to help save the day a hundred years before when football was vilified as being “too brutal,” Hazzard has come forward to be MMA’s arbiter. As his Unified Rules were implemented, the path was cleared for more widespread acceptance.

As such, they served as an important catalyst in propelling all of MMA into the popularity it enjoys today.