Keith Kizer is stepping down as the Executive Director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission according to The USA Today. Kizer resigned Friday night with his last day being January 27th.
Kizer will return to state attorney general’s office where he was prior to taking the top job at the NSAC. The article paints a positive administration for Kizer citing improvement in the health and safety of fighters in boxing and MMA in the state.
However, Kizer has been criticized for poor judging. The article Timothy Bradley-Manny Pacquiao fight as one where most in attendance believed Pacquiao was the decisive victor yet Bradley won the decision. Recently, Dana White went on a tirade in the post-fight press conference for UFC167 when GSP was declared the winner in a fight many believed Johny Hendricks dominated.
Payout Perspective:
With Kizer stepping down, we will see who will take over. The person taking charge will most likely have working relationships with the UFC, Top Rank and Golden Boy. The issues of drug testing and judging will be the two key things that Kizer’s replacement must address when taking over.
AK says
Good riddance — doesn’t come more corrupt than the NSAC and boxing. How much was/is Kizer to blame (if at all)? No one will ever know, but I’m sure it can’t hurt he’s gone. Now on to the clean game of politics.
Chris27 says
Nothing shady about this news.
Too bad, he was the only one stopping Vitor “the Juicer” Belfort.
I’m guessing someone close to DW will now get that job and allow all kinds of corruption.
If you know how to score a Boxing match, Bradley won.
Diego says
“If you know how to score a Boxing match, Bradley won.”
I assume you mean against Marquez. Yes I agree, Bradley won. Against Provodnikov there’s some doubt and against Pacquiao there’s no doubt.
I didn’t think Kizer was terrible, but it’s tough to tell how much of what happened was him and how much was the rest the commission. His view on THCs as performance enhancing was absurd, but in general he was much better than any of the CSAC directors.
Logical says
Kizer was actually one of the best commissioners in the country, his only fault was his stubbornness when it came to the officials he selected for the events, at times it almost seemed like “hey you don’t like this judge or this referee? well guess what? i am going to go out of my away, spite all of you and have them on the main card”.
Most commissioners are nothing more than easily controlled hacks and Kizer wasn’t one of them so for that he’ll be missed.
Logical says
Now GSP drops this bombshell on the UFC, which indirectly also makes the NSAC look bad since Kizer had strong opposition for VADA and was instrumental in the UFC having that stance as well.
Didnt like the way UFC reacted by not supporting him in his will to clean the sport and mostly by backing Hendricks when he chose not to do the test even tough he agreed at first.
Says that UFC stance on doping is one of the main reason he decided to quit.
He says fighters have no power to express their opinion. UFC management has all the power on decisions. Players who would contest the organization would be punished.
There’s too much on the line for them to clean the sport. Also, there are nasty things going on behind the scenes he can’t talk about.
Direction of where the sport is going is very idiotic. He wants to do everything he can to change the sport.
http://www.rds.ca/combat/ufc/la-croisade-continue-1.830402
BrainSmasher says
GSP is full of shit. Everyone agreed his partnership with the testing group was suspect. Hendricks agreed to the testing if he used a more reputable group that he doesn’t have connections with. GSP never agreed! GSP was up to no good here and everyone knew it. He was either profiting from using this group he had ties to. OR he could get by with using PE’s while his opponent couldn’t. Giving him a perpetual advantage over everyone of his opponents. He then tried to leverage the UFC to endorse his dishonest scheme.
The UFC has way to many responsibility to be taking part in these testing programs as they currently operate. For one they are not sure the public even wants a clean sport. I do not believe the public does. They want the perception of clean but the results and entertainment of enhanced athletes. Just like baseball fans. Even if they disregard that. There is also the issues that the groups want to make it public when someone fails the test before the fight. This would often happen days before events. After tickets were sold and people had already spent thousands on travel and hotel. Entire cards and events would be canceled. Over time thousands if not millions of fans would be screwed. It would turn people away from the sport and could very well jeopardize the sport itself. The UFC has thousands of employees who are hired directed by them full time all over the world. Not to mention people who indirectly work for them. The UFC has to much responsibility to make a pointless, careless, and irresponsible decision like that. Its one thing when someone fails after everyone has been paid or had a good time. Its another to screw over business, fighters, and fans for absolutely no reason.
It is very dirty if GSP to come out with all this after refusing to mention his concerns when he was face to face with the UFC. This is tantamount to stabbing them in the back! He should be a man and talk to them about this.
Also, we all know this had nothing to do with his decision to leave. It had everything to do with the struggles he is having in the cage. He isn’t used to getting beat up and he wanted no part of Hendricks again and retirement was the only way to avoid that fight. Also by coming out with this and blaming it for his decision. He is all but calling Hendricks a cheater. Trying to act like that is why he got beat up. I cant explain how much respect I have lost for GPS in recent weeks!