In a recent interview with MMAFightCorner.Com, UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) President Dana White voiced what all MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) fans worldwide have been waiting to hear: The news that MMA will be sanctioned in New York.
And not only that, White guaranteed it will happen in 2012.
MMAFightCorner.com: How close are you getting to having MMA sanctioned in New York?
Dana White: Real close. It’s going to happen and I guarantee it’s going to happen this year.
MMAFightCorner.com: Do you have a fight ready for when it’s sanctioned?
Dana White: No. It’s going to depend on when it happens, timing, and everything else. It would be nice to go in there with, probably, Jon Jones.
While most states in America have gone on to legalize MMA, New York has failed to follow suit.
Part of the problem that professional MMA faced, is partly due to the way in which the sport has been viewed by its detractors—that it assumedly sends out the wrong message, one of violence.
The same denigrators have even suggested that the UFC has an inclination towards homophobia, an allegation which has been unfounded.
Though the biggest stumbling block to the legalization of MMA in the state of New York has, in no small part, been due to the clout of the Culinary Union and politicians like Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who have fought tooth and nail to ensure that the world’s fastest growing sport never sets foot on its shores.
Nevertheless, some of those critics have changed their perception of professional mixed martial arts and have gone on to view it like any other sport.
That’s a discernment that could go a long way to help in the sanctioning of MMA in New York as well as the UFC’s push for a 2012 date.
White also shared his thoughts on a number of other issues, like Brock Lesnar’s retirement, The Ultimate Fighter Brazil and Women’s MMA.
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