New York Assemblyman Bob Reilly has been one of, if not the, most vocal critics when it comes to the legalization of mixed martial arts in New York state.
In 2009, AOL News reported Reilly saying:
“It’s (MMA) a violent sport that is harmful and damaging. Violence begets violence. It helps create a culture in our society of domestic violence, of bullying, of violence against gays, of illegal gun use. It’s the job of state legislatures to pass laws against that sort of stuff, and then we put something like ultimate fighting as our form of entertainment?”
Earlier this week, it was announced that Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the UFC and Strikeforce, would extend more robust insurance benefits to all of their contracted fighters.
Zuffa had previously provided insurance to its fighters for injuries sustained on fight night. According to the UFC, the new insurance, which Zuffa will fully pay for, would “cover accidental injuries suffered by athletes while training, as well as non-training incidents such as automobile accidents.”
This a huge step by Zuffa and has been widely applauded by fans and fighters alike.
MMAFighting.com‘s Ariel Helwani contacted Reilly to get his take on how the news could possibly impact his stance on bringing MMA to New York:
“What immediately came to my mind was, ‘What’s the need for insurance?'” Reilly asked. “Because advocates for MMA have been touting how safe this sport is and that no one is ever injured, and in fact, the testimony here is that the worst that ever happened was a broken arm. But I don’t think that insurance is going to do anything for the very prevalent brain damage that fighters will suffer.”
Reilly continued, “I think what MMA should be doing is, instead of providing insurance for injuries, is to do away with injuries.”
And while Reilly did praise Zuffa for providing insurance to the UFC and Strikeforce fighters, the news did nothing to soften his stance on MMA: “I think it’s a positive thing, but I don’t think it’s a positive step. In the sense that it doesn’t address the systemic problems of MMA. But it’s certainly not a negative thing.”
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