Jeff Aronson praises the UFC for the time and money spent to get the sport in New York.
The battle for MMA in New York ended last Tuesday when the State Assembly voted in favor of legalizing the sport. For MMA promotions like Titan FC, this means that they now have the opportunity to hold events in one of America’s biggest markets.
The UFC has been pushing for legalization since 2007, holding yearly rallies and lobbying the New York State Legislature to bring MMA to New York. Titan FC CEO Jeff Aronson was ecstatic when he heard the news, as well very appreciative of the UFC’s efforts.
“Kudos to the UFC for fighting the fight and funding this for so long. To get the bill to pass and fight the legislature there, you have to give them all the respect. I give the UFC a massive amount of credit for what they’ve done,” Aronson told Bloody Elbow.
While Aronson is excited to bring events to the state of New York, he says that the promotion will sit and watch the UFC and Bellator MMA race to hold the first professional event.
“To me it’s not a race. I need to take some time and really evaluate all of the local talent there. For the UFC it’s easy to fill an arena with established stars. I definitely won’t be the first but I’ll throw a fantastic card there.”
Titan has recently made changes in the way they run the promotion, which will now operate and hold events in South Florida. The new format is similar to how Strikeforce held their big shows in California but put on smaller cards in other states.
Aronson says that he would like to have their first “challengers” card take place in New York. The event would likely feature New York prospects while being headlined by Titan Featherweight Champion Andre Harrison.
“We’ll still do like a challengers series type card where we do three smaller cards around the county. It will be invitation only, and we’ll be looking for the brightest young stars. It’s very similar to how Strikeforce found guys like Daniel Cormier and Tyron Woodley.”
The promotion’s next event, Titan FC 38, will take place on April 30th in Miami. The card is currently headlined by former WSOF champion Steve Carl and Belal Muhammad. The promotion expects to announce more fights for the event in the upcoming week.