Tag: MMA bill

Two Steps Back: Boston Bans Children Under 16 From Attending Future UFC Events Without Adult Supervision


(The funniest thing is that this kid had no idea who Michael Bisping was until he walked out; he just saw him and let instinct take over.)

You might recall that, amidst all the kerfuffle of visa and fighter licensing issues that threatened to derail the UFC’s trip to Boston for their FS1 network debut, city councilor Steven Murphy filed a resolution to ban minors from attending MMA fights. Backed by the Culinary Union’s “But Think of the Children!” division, Murphy’s bill argued that “extensive research has associated exposure to media violence with a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents, including aggressive and violent behavior, bullying, desensitization to violence, fear and depression.” That’s right, Murphy’s “extensively researched” argument boiled down a laughable criminal defense usually seen on an episode of Law & Order.

“You see, it was the video game that made my client go on a shooting spree! He couldn’t tell the difference between reality and virtual reality because VICE CITY BRAINWASHED HIS FRAGILE, INNOCENT MIND.”

Yes, despite the UFC’s fervent efforts to support the anti-bullying movement, it’s an organization that, according to Murphy, lacks proper role models like say, Aaron Hernandez. As one would expect in a society that absolutely refuses to place any responsibility or blame for a child’s behavior on the parents, the bill passed unanimously this afternoon, stating “children under the age of 16 years old be prohibited from attending live amateur and professional cage fighting events in the City of Boston unless accompanied by an adult.”


(The funniest thing is that this kid had no idea who Michael Bisping was until he walked out; he just saw him and let instinct take over.)

You might recall that, amidst all the kerfuffle of visa and fighter licensing issues that threatened to derail the UFC’s trip to Boston for their FS1 network debut, city councilor Steven Murphy filed a resolution to ban minors from attending MMA fights. Backed by the Culinary Union’s “But Think of the Children!” division, Murphy’s bill argued that “extensive research has associated exposure to media violence with a variety of physical and mental health problems for children and adolescents, including aggressive and violent behavior, bullying, desensitization to violence, fear and depression.” That’s right, Murphy’s “extensively researched” argument boiled down a laughable criminal defense usually seen on an episode of Law & Order.

“You see, it was the video game that made my client go on a shooting spree! He couldn’t tell the difference between reality and virtual reality because VICE CITY BRAINWASHED HIS FRAGILE, INNOCENT MIND.”

Yes, despite the UFC’s fervent efforts to support the anti-bullying movement, it’s an organization that, according to Murphy, lacks proper role models like say, Aaron Hernandez. As one would expect in a society that absolutely refuses to place any responsibility or blame for a child’s behavior on the parents, the bill passed unanimously this afternoon, stating “children under the age of 16 years old be prohibited from attending live amateur and professional cage fighting events in the City of Boston unless accompanied by an adult.”

You know the deal. Roll that beautiful bean footage…

Murphy’s original resolution called for the banning of any person under 18 from UFC events, so this neutered bill probably isn’t the home run he was hoping for. On the other side of the coin, the passing of the bill represents yet another step back in the “MMA is not a barbaric sport watched by skinhead heathens” debate.

The main problem with this bill is that it seems to operate under the assumption that the impact of MMA’s inherent violence is somehow heightened when witnessed live (or that children can only gain access to MMA content in a live setting). Without going down the “Why not ban violent movies and video games altogether?” rabbit hole, it’s safe to say that Murphy’s argument is fundamentally flawed. Placing the blame/responsibility on anyone but the individual has become standard operation nowadays, and this bill only enforces it.

Dana White’s reaction (via USA Today) was as you’d expect, although he managed to go almost three sentences without dropping an F-bomb in the process. Way to subvert the stereotype, DW!

This Murphy guy. You elect a politician to hopefully go out and bring in jobs, create revenue in your city, bring in events that bring revenue to your city. This guy comes out and he’s saying all this (bleeping) stuff like ’18 and under’ (not allowed at the event) and all this other stuff they’re doing to us. Then sure enough, this hearing, 25 of the Culinary Union members are there. And this guy busts out a video of Chael Sonnen talking about Anderson Silva in Brazil. First of all, this is the fight business. This isn’t the nice business. This is the fight business.

Hard to argue with the man. If you can’t tell the difference between Chael Sonnen the man and Chael Sonnen the character, well, you probably comment on MMAMania. ZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING.

Honestly, our opinion on this law can best be summed up by baddaykate, a Twitter user who responded to the news with the following:


(Can you tell she’s from Boston?)

Yes, Kate. Wicked stupid, indeed.

–J. Jones

New York Getting Ready to Pull the Ball Away Before MMA Supporters Can Kick Legalization Field Goal


(“What about the Craftmatic adjustable bed we bought you,  Bob?!!”)

Well, the MMA legalization bill in New York just passed through yet another hoop today. A04146A was approved by a vote of 17-1 by the State Assembly’s Codes Committee. Insiders estimate that’s as close as it will get to becoming a law, however, since the next vote will be chaired by vehement MMA opposer, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the Ways & Means Committee.


(“What about the Craftmatic adjustable bed we bought you,  Bob?!!”)

Well, the MMA legalization bill in New York just passed through yet another hoop today. A04146A was approved by a vote of 17-1 by the State Assembly’s Codes Committee. Insiders estimate that’s as close as it will get to becoming a law, however, since the next vote will be chaired by vehement MMA opposer, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver in the Ways & Means Committee.

Still, the UFC is pulling out all the stops in a last ditch effort to persuade Assembly voters to jump on the MMA bandwagon. UFC vice president of regulatory affairs, Marc Ratner is in New York meeting with legislators in an attempt to educate those who might be sitting on the fence due to safety concerns, that MMA’s safeguards are as good if not better than other mainstream sports.

UFC president Dana White penned  the following open letter to New York residents that was featured in a full page of today’s New York Daily News:

“If you’ve paid any attention to mixed martial arts over the past decade, you know the sport has exploded. It has the highest pay-per-view numbers of any sporting event, is broadcast on numerous cable, satellite and network television stations, enjoys mainstream sponsorships and has a large and diverse fan base. It is sanctioned in 45 of 48 U.S. states that have athletic commissions and across Canada and Australia.

Unfortunately, MMA fans in New York are forced to enjoy the sport from afar. Here in New York, MMA is totally banned.

It’s long past time to overturn that prohibition. It’s a safe and respectable sport that’s every bit as legitimate as boxing or professional football.

I won’t pretend to be objective. I run the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the single most popular MMA promotion company. While I think that our fans here in New York and the city would profit immensely from legalization, it will also certainly affect my bottom line.

But the benefits go far beyond my business. Bringing MMA to New York would make public policy sense in a city and state that need jobs and tax revenue badly.

I understand some people think no amount of economic activity is worth selling the state’s soul – and some people insist that MMA is simply too brutal to allow. But MMA is completely different from the spectacle New York legislators banned back in the 1990s.

When MMA first came to the United States, it was modeled after a Brazilian sport known as vale tudo – “anything goes.” Its early days were marked by a distinct lack of strong regulation – no weight classes, no time limits and no rules.

In 2001, MMA reinvented itself. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were written and adopted by the leading regulatory bodies working closely with promoters, including the UFC. The rules include provisions for weight classes, rounds and time limits. Dangerous maneuvers are totally outlawed. In the UFC, we have multiple ringside doctors at every fight, mandatory pre- and post-fight MRIs, comprehensive drug testing and a competitive atmosphere.

If a fighter gets a concussion, he is forced to sit out of matches and training for a mandatory period determined by the regulatory body overseeing the event. No other professional sport has such strict concussion rules.

All of those changes have produced two incredibly positive results: First, no athlete has suffered a serious injury in the history of UFC – nothing beyond a broken bone. Second, the sport has gained worldwide popularity and firmly established itself as the fastest-growing sport in the country.

At this point, it’s very odd that New York would allow and even celebrate a sport like football, in which people have experienced serious and lasting physical injuries, and cling to the fiction that MMA is legalized assault.

How successful would the sport be here? We got a taste a few weeks ago. A fight at the Rogers Centre in Toronto brought in ticket sales at the gate of more than $12 million – the largest for any event ever held at the arena. The sellout crowd of more than 55,000 – bigger than when an NFL game was held there – poured in to the city early and stayed late, purchasing arena concessions, staying in hotel rooms, dining at restaurants and taking taxis.

I am positive that an event in New York would have the same kind of success. While Madison Square Garden is obviously a pinnacle for any sport, we have a large fan base in cities like Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester and Albany, all of which could use the economic lift.

We commissioned an economic impact study to demonstrate how much revenue one of our events would generate for the State of New York. The study, by HR & A, found that sanctioning MMA in New York City would generate more than $23 million in net new economic activity. In Buffalo, an event would generate $5.2 million in economic activity.

Those figures assume only two UFC events, and we estimate we could do as many as three per year in New York State.

Little wonder momentum is growing to overturn the ban. The state Senate recently voted overwhelmingly to sanction mixed martial arts and the Assembly’s tourism committee followed suit; now it’s time to allow a full Assembly vote.

The sports capital of the world deserves access to one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, one that will bring money and jobs to state and local businesses.”

Lets hope this push can finally tip the scales in our favor.

We urge all New York residents to contact their State Representatives to voice your opinion about MMA in New York and to let them know that your vote in the next election will be influenced by how they vote on this bill.

A list of all of the Assembly members and their email addresses can be found HERE.

New York MMA Bill S 2165-B Passed Another Hurdle Today

("All those for MMA in New York State, say ‘Aye’. All those against, say ‘duh’.")
New York’s MMA bill S 2165 made it over another major hurdle today by passing a third senate reading and vote and being referred to ways and means.
If this soun…


("All those for MMA in New York State, say ‘Aye’. All those against, say ‘duh’.")

New York’s MMA bill S 2165 made it over another major hurdle today by passing a third senate reading and vote and being referred to ways and means.

If this sounds familiar, its because the parallel bill, A 2009-C was recently passed by the Committee of Parks, Tourism and Sports Development onto the Codes Committee for a June 14 vote, where it was passed on to ways and means as well.

read more