New York will require professional boxers and mixed martial artists to get $1 million of insurance to cover life-threatening brain injuries under regulations slated to take effect in September.
The State Athletic Commission is carrying out the decision by lawmakers and the governor to legalize professional mixed martial arts and overhaul regulation of combat sports generally.
Its detailed plan, still subject to public comments, will make New York the final state to end opposition to the combination of wrestling, kickboxing and jiu-jitsu inside a cage or other enclosure.
Higher insurance is one concession to critics of the violence. Supporters say mixed martial arts has evolved from early unregulated days.
Prohibited acts include strikes to the spine, back of the head or throat; head butts; and stomping a grounded opponent.
© 2016 The Associated Press.
