It has recently been reported that MMA has failed to obtain legalization in New York for the third straight year. Once again (or thrice again) the bill stalled out in the Ways and Means Committee, where it will unceremoniously fade away until the whole process starts again sometime in 2012.
But does New York even matter in the grand scheme of things anymore?
The sport of mixed martial arts—specifically the UFC—is growing leaps and bounds and not just within the United States. The UFC (under Zuffa ownership) has visited Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Germany and will eventually be visiting Brazil and Sweden.
When the market for MMA in the United States has already been won and now the world is up for grabs, how can New York be all that important?
Many will answer by saying that Madison Square Garden is a legendary venue and the sport is being done a disservice by not being allowed to hold events there.
While MSG is one the most famous places in sports, it doesn’t mean that it always will be. What is meant by this is that by not having mixed martial arts for at least another year, the New York state government is making it very easy for MMA to simply pass New York by.
Think of all the legendary moments that have happened in MMA and think of all the highly anticipated matchups and events that will happen over the next year. New York has missed and will miss all of them.
Thus, by the time MMA is legalized in New York, which may not even be in 2012 with the way the state runs things, (I know since I live there) the sport will be so popular that holding an event at Madison Square Garden really won’t mean a whole lot.
Of course, this isn’t to say that the UFC won’t hold shows there once it’s legal to. It’s just that there will be bigger, newer things on the horizon by then.
It is unfortunate that the “powers that be” in New York have decided to doom the state’s MMA fans, and through no fault of their own! The grassroots movement in the state, such as the Coalition to Legalize MMA in New York lead by American Sambo expert Stephen Koepfer were strong, and the MMA fans in the state were dedicated to bringing the sport to New York…but it was all for not.
Nevertheless, when the sport is made legal it will be a tremendous boon to the local MMA scene. Promotions such as Lou Neglia’s Ring of Combat (a staple of east coast—specifically NY/NJ—MMA for those who don’t know) will finally be able to hold shows in New York and other promotions will likely rise up and in doing so, make finding fights for aspiring Long Island and New York fighters easier.
But will New York matter in the overall MMA scene when the sport is finally made legal there? Even if the answer is yes it won’t matter as much as it would have if it was made legal on the first try; each year that passes without MMA in New York makes the state less relevant to the big picture as the UFC extends its reach overseas.
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