In light of the Strikeforce melee described in this post, Strikeforce has, preemptively, removed Mayhem from its June 16, 2010 California card in which he was scheduled to fight Robbie Lawler in the main event. He has been replaced by Renato "Babalu" Sobral. As set forth in this article on Sherdog, Strikeforce's CEO believed that the Tennessee Athletic Commission would be putting Jason "Mayhem" Miller under "some type of suspension." According to the article on Sherdog, the Commission is still investigating the situation.
I took a quick look at the rules to see if I could find the source of a potential suspension in this situation and this is what I found.
A suspension is authorized by the Tennessee Code. Specifically, Part 209 of Chapter 115 of Title 68 of the Tennessee Code provides in relevant part that:
(a) The commission may, in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, suspend or revoke the license of any person issued pursuant to this chapter who . . .
(5) Is found by the commission to have committed an act or conduct that is detrimental to a professional contest of unarmed combat, including, but not limited to, any foul or unsportsmanlike conduct in connection with a professional contest of unarmed combat;"
Further, in addition to any disciplinary action above, under Chapter 0145-04.01 of the Rules of the Tennessee Athletic Commission, the Commission may assess a civil penalty for a violation of Part 209 of Chapter 115 of Title 68 in the amount of $0-$250,000.
You may be wondering why Strikeforce would pull Mayhem from a card in California if the potential suspension is implemented in Tennessee. Under California Business and Professions Code Section 18850:
(a) Any boxer or martial arts fighter who participates in a contest or match while under suspension by the commission, or any other recognized commission, shall have his or her license revoked.
While "recognized commission" does not appear to be defined, I would certainly predict that the Tennessee Commission would be "recognized" by the California Commission.
