Rules and regulators
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It licenses boxers, MMA fighters and officials, approves every card and decides who may fight. It was created in 1920.
The New York State Athletic Commission, or NYSAC, is the state agency that oversees professional combat sports in New York. Its predecessor was created in 1920, when the state legalised boxing under the Walker Law, and it is one of the oldest athletic commissions in the United States.
What it licenses
Under state law, anyone who takes part in a professional boxing or mixed martial arts event must hold a licence from the commission: fighters, trainers, seconds, referees, judges, promoters and matchmakers. The commission also approves each card, so that the matchups are reasonable in terms of experience and weight.
Medical rules
Fighters are required to undergo pre-fight medical examinations, and the commission can suspend a fighter after a knockout or a significant injury. A suspension is a period during which the fighter cannot take part in any event in the state, and it is reported to other commissions. The aim is to prevent a fighter from fighting while still recovering.
Officials
The commission appoints the referees and judges for each event, and sets the rules under which they work. For boxing the state follows the Unified Rules of Boxing; for mixed martial arts, the Unified Rules of MMA.
MMA in New York
New York was the last major state to legalise professional mixed martial arts. The law was signed in April 2016, and the first major card, UFC 205, was held at Madison Square Garden on November 12, 2016. The commission's rules for MMA took effect with that card. Boxing has been at the Garden for over a century, and fight cards at other arenas in the state are approved by the same body.
What a fan should know
An event that is described as "sanctioned" by the commission has been through this process. A result from such an event is entered in the official records of the sport and is reported to the database kept by the Association of Boxing Commissions.