(Radio Iowa) — The Athletic Commission of the State Labor Division issued 101 licenses for events in the last fiscal year and many of those were for M-M-A or Mixed Martial Arts fighting. Labor Commissioner Michael Mauro says they have to do inspections of the fight sites. “M-M-A is very interesting, I find that interesting because we are a health and safety agency. We are trying to protect peoples’ safety and health in the workplace,” Mauro explains, “But what I’m really trying to do there is to make sure they don’t kill each other in the ring.”

He says they have a variety things to go over to determine a bout is safe. “Check the ring, check the rules, check the gloves, we check the whole thing. Make sure they have nothing in the gloves, make sure they have their drug tests and things like that — so we make sure they have a safe environment,” Mauro says. That’s what he finds the most peculiar — is they make sure everything is safe so two fighters can go at it.
“We’re here for safety and health, and I’m trying to make sure nobody gets killed in the fight,” according to Mauro.

Mauro made his comments following a recent state budget hearing.