Author: John Heinis

Just when it looked like MMA was making ground to get sanctioned in New York, fans and fighters alike will again have to play the waiting game.

Bloody Elbow has just reported that the MMA bill is absent “on the Agenda of the Ways and Means Committee, which all but kills its chances.”

Bob Reilly, who has been serving as a Democratic New York State Assemblyman since 2004, has been the main man leading the crusade against the sport recently.

However, plenty of members of the New York legislature agree with Reilly’s stance. 

Herman Farrell, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, was not very subtle in expressing his feelings about the combat in the cage.

“I don’t think very much of the sport,” Farrell said. “Next we’ll give them clubs with spikes on the end; that will be good.”

Obviously, Farrell agrees with Reilly that the sport is barbaric and should not be welcomed into the mainstream. 

Justin Klein, who writes the Fight Lawyer Blog, assured tried to comfort MMA aficionados by pointing out simple facts that could help a similar bill in the future.

“Despite the setback, there is some room for optimism this year. Indeed, there was more mainstream media attention to the issue, which I believe and have previously written will be critical if we are going to get this done.”

Klein also added, “Moreover, the votes (when votes occurred) were more favorable to MMA than past years.”

Since West Virginia legalized MMA back in mid-March of this year, New York, Connecticut and Vermont remain the only three states that do not sanction the sport.

Current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, who grew up in New York, issued this statement regarding the situation just less than a month ago:

“Critics of MMA have claimed different reasons for opposing regulation. But as our millions of fans and anyone who has been paying attention knows, these claims don’t hold up.”

“First they said it wasn’t a real sport. But MMA is the fastest-growing sport in the world, sets event gate and concession records, and millions watch fights on pay-per-view TV. We are highly trained athletes, Olympians and All-American college wrestlers.”

“MMA has gone mainstream. Fighters appear in ads for Microsoft, and UFC sponsors include the Marines, Harley Davidson and Anheuser-Busch. And it’s hard to argue with dollar figures. A recent study found New York regulation would generate $23 million in economic activity and create hundreds of local jobs.”

“Then detractors said it wasn’t safe. But we have some of the most rigorous safety standards, drug testing and officiating in professional sports.”

“All that our critics have left to say is MMA is barbaric. It is full of strategy, fluidity. Highly conditioned athletes look for momentary points of leverage and advantage — combining karate, jiu jitsu, wrestling and kickboxing, which can take decades to master.”

“MMA isn’t for everyone. But to call it brutal is to misunderstand the sport, its athletes and its fans. We’re not masochists, we’re college graduates, role models, Olympic champions. We have a greater safety record than the NFL and boxing, and with millions of fans, we are not going away.”

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