Originally Posted by MMAJUNKIE

The Association of Boxing Commissioners, which recently made some waves after announcing proposed changes to MMA's weight classes, has created a new committee to focus on mixed martial arts.

The MMA committee will be headed by Nick Lembo, the legal counsel for the New Jersey Athletic Control Board.

Lembo confirmed the appointment with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) on Monday.

The committee, which is comprised of athletic commissions in the United States and Canada (including Native American territories), will also include Jim Erickson of the North Dakota State Athletic Commission; Armando Garcia of the California State Athletic Commission; Keith Kizer of the Nevada State Athletic Commission; Dale Kliparchuk of The River Cree Combative Sports Commission (Canada); Josef Mason of the Colorado Athletic Commission; and Michael Mazzulli of the Mohegan Athletic United (Connecticut).

MMAjunkie.com recently detailed the ABC's proposed 14 weight classes -- and the negative feedback it received from commission executives such as Lembo, Kizer and Bernie Profato (Ohio State Athletic Commission).

In fact, in the wake of the ABC's latest proposed changes, Profato was one of the most vocal about the ABC needing an MMA division to study such matters.

"I think we have to sit down and kind of look at the direction [the ABC] is going," Profato said. "Set up a committee, a strong committee, with the big states -- Nevada, Ohio, California, New Jersey -- and get eight or 10 people on that committee. Take these things one little piece at a time. Decipher it. Study it."

It appears that such a system is now, in fact, in place.

The ABC's next meeting takes place in New Orleans in July 2009.