There may have been some sick and outdated comparisons being made at today’s (Tues., March 22, 2016) New York State Assembly, but ultimately, the goal was accomplished.
The Assembly just voted 113-25 in favor of finally approving MMA to be professionally contested in the State of New York, making it the fiftieth and final U.S. State to legalize the competition.
With the resounding victory, MMA will now return to the Empire State where it has been absent from for 19 years since it was banned by former Governor George Pataki in 1997. The ruleset and the overall sport have undergone serious changes in terms of being regulated since then, yet New York always held out as the last state to approve, and many have suggested that was due at least in part to political corruption.
The UFC and MMA as a whole had faced opposition from former Speaker Sheldon Silver, but that apparently dissolved rather quickly when he was caught accepting illegal funds.
Now, the UFC will finally move on to their long-awaited blockbuster card at Madison Square Garden, which has been slated for November. Top names like Jon Jones, an Ithaca, New York, native that will finally return to the Octagon next month, Chris Weidman, a former champion who has been instrumental in getting MMA approved in his home state, and fellow former champion Frankie Edgar, who is from nearby Toms River, New Jersey, will obviously be leading candidates to headline what will undoubtedly be a blockbuster event.
The post MMA Finally Legalized In New York appeared first on LowKick MMA.