MMA officially regulated in Massachusetts

The new Massachusetts State Athletic Commission became official today, starting a new era in mixed martial arts in the state.

Joe Esposito, LaTiesha Adams and Gary Litchfield all were sworn in, joining attorney Todd Grossman and former Massachusetts State Boxing Commission chairman Daniel Fitzgerald.

Members of the local MMA community have been pushing hard for Esposito, who has been in the sport since 1976 when he opened Esposito’s Karate/Fitness Center in Newton.

Esposito’s resume includes a stint on the Massachusetts State Boxing Commission. He also was coach of the U.S. kickboxing team and is a past president of KRANE, an international martial arts sanctioning organization.

The 55-year-old has been studying various forms of martial arts for more than 30 years. Since Massachusetts stopped regulating MMA, Esposito has worked as an independent arbitrator attending countless events to make sure rules and protocols are being followed.

I got to the position based on the fact that there was absolutely a groundswell at the grassroots level,’‘ Esposito said. We’ve been successful. We’ve run five years unscathed with no major injuries. We’ve gone from attendance of 500 people showing up to MMA events to 5,000.

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