Tag: MMA legalization New York

MMA Black Friday: 7 Things That Money Can’t Buy


(A PSP, a Marmaduke book, and fistful of dollars… Man, this cat really knows how to get down!)

By Jason Moles

While our wives and girlfriends are busy maxing out our credit cards in hopes of finding the perfect gift for everyone she knows, we should be reminded that money can’t buy everything — especially in the world of mixed martial arts. Follow us after the jump to discover the irony of the MMA Black Friday. I promise it will be better than the turkey sandwich and leftover pumpkin pie you’ll have for lunch.

1.) Resurrection

In June, Cheick Kongo did what no man has done since the Messiah some 2,000+ years ago — he defeated death. Alright, so maybe I’ve had a few too many turkey day cocktails and that’s not exactly how it went down, but you get the jist. Kongo was knocked unconscious not once but twice in his fight against fellow heavyweight Pat Barry and he still managed to win the fight! By KO nonetheless. No amount of Earthly money could ever buy a second (or third) chance to live again. If it were that easy, Steve Jobs would’ve made certain you increase your credit limit.


(A PSP, a Marmaduke book, and fistful of dollars… Man, this cat really knows how to get down!)

By Jason Moles

While our Carlos Condit’s Wife Seager Is Rather Attractive [PHOTOS]” href=”http://www.cagepotato.com/mma-w-a-g-alert-carlos-condits-wife-seager-is-rather-attractive-photos/”>wives and girlfriends are busy maxing out our credit cards in hopes of finding the perfect gift for everyone she knows, we should be reminded that money can’t buy everything — especially in the world of mixed martial arts. Follow us after the jump to discover the irony of the MMA Black Friday. I promise it will be better than the turkey sandwich and leftover pumpkin pie you’ll have for lunch.

1.) Resurrection

In June, Cheick Kongo did what no man has done since the Messiah some 2,000+ years ago — he defeated death. Alright, so maybe I’ve had a few too many turkey day cocktails and that’s not exactly how it went down, but you get the jist. Kongo was knocked unconscious not once but twice in his fight against fellow heavyweight Pat Barry and he still managed to win the fight! By KO nonetheless. No amount of Earthly money could ever buy a second (or third) chance to live again. If it were that easy, Steve Jobs would’ve made certain you increase your credit limit.

2.) The Joy Experienced Watching Anderson Silva in 2011

From revolutionizing the MMA landscape with a kick the way the Miami Dolphins did with a Wildcat Offense a few years ago to several strangely fascinating videos, Anderson Silva has provided more entertainment than a Chael Sonnen Says F*ck Canada or at Least This Reporter Who Lives There” href=”http://www.cagepotato.com/video-chael-sonnen-says-fck-canada-or-at-least-this-reporter-who-lives-there/” target=”_blank”>Chael Sonnen interview. These are memories that will last a lifetime, or three if you’re Cheick Kongo.

3.) A Clue

Man what I wouldn’t give to slap that stupid look off his face. This guy is more confused than a homeless man on house arrest. If money could by a clue, we’d have to take up another donation. It’s probably best we don’t, though – your better half has been gone quite awhile now.

4.) The Fight You Most Want To See

Fans want Dana White to make two fights happen pronto: Jon Jones vs. Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen vs. Anderson Silva. Anyone who tells you differently is lying. It’s no wonder why there’s so much clamoring to see these fighters settle their differences in the Octagon. Take Sonnen for instance, he talked his way into our hearts, gave the pound-for-pound king the beating of his life in route to getting subbed in the final round, and has ceased his verbal attack on “The Spider” going as far as to challenge him to a ‘Loser Leaves Town’ match. There is honest hatred in the Oregonian’s heart that we must see unleashed again — if only to find out how big a role Silva’s injured ribs played.


As for ‘Suga’ and ‘Bones’, the future PPV tagline says it all: Good Friends, Better Enemies. Their genuine dislike for one another only adds fuel to the fire. We all know the story of training partners so close one would fake a hand injury to avoid fighting the other to a young pup stealing all the spotlight while running his mouth about what when on during a sparring session at Jackson’s. Did I mention they had and nearly threw down at a nightclub?

5.) A Title Shot

Jon Fitch has not lost a fight since Georges St. Pierre defeated him for the UFC welterweight championship back in 2008. In that time, Kenny Florian and Lyoto Machida have been given several opportunities to fight for gold. So why not Fitch? Is he too boring? Is it because he doesn’t have a fancy TV show on ESPN or drink his own pee? Yeah, we’re not sure either. Since money is useless when attempting to get a title shot, we came up with a few ways Fitch might get another crack anyway.

6.) Forgiveness

You can’t think about Paul Daley sucker punching Josh Koscheck and subsequently being fired without hearing Don Henley’s ‘The Heart of the Matter‘ in your head. This is the classic ‘from the penthouse to the outhouse’ scenario; He went from fighting in the UFC in May 2010 to fighting in Impact FC two months later. Despite his apology to Kos, the crestfallen Daley remained focused on working his way back in Dana’s good graces fighting five times this year. Zuffa owned Strikeforce appears to have let “Semtex” wander off on his own after dropping two straight. Tack on his history of missing weight and you’ll see that this is one ‘F’ word you won’t here White say.

7.) The Keys to New York

If money could by Zuffa keys to the state of New York, they would have filled MSG twice already. Remember, they even tried to buy their way in as recent as this past summer. Remember folks, money — it isn’t everything.

Damn It, Bob Reilly is an Evil Oblivious Bastard

(Video courtesy YouTube/StocktonHeyBuddy)

We know from experience that dealing with government types is shady business, but when idiots like Bob Reilly continue to distort the truth and screw with the livelihoods of countless people in the process, it starts to grate on our nerves.

Reilly was front and centre in the news today telling anyone who would listen that, like he’s been saying for weeks, the MMA legalization bill in New York likely won’t make it to the Assembly floor for a vote because there isn’t enough interest or support for the bill.

“If something does not have the votes to pass, we don’t bother taking it to the floor,” Reilly said.

So rather than prove there isn’t any underhandedness in deciding whether or not there really isn’t enough support for the bill by putting the issue to a vote, the opposition Democrats like Reilly and Speaker Sheldon Silver are likely to stall the bill in the Assembly’s Ways & Means Committee. That kids, is how a bill doesn’t become a law.


(Video courtesy YouTube/StocktonHeyBuddy)

We know from experience that dealing with government types is shady business, but when idiots like Bob Reilly continue to distort the truth and screw with the livelihoods of countless people in the process, it starts to grate on our nerves.

Reilly was front and centre in the news today telling anyone who would listen that, like he’s been saying for weeks, the MMA legalization bill in New York likely won’t make it to the Assembly floor for a vote because there isn’t enough interest or support for the bill.

“If something does not have the votes to pass, we don’t bother taking it to the floor,” Reilly said.

So rather than prove there isn’t any underhandedness in deciding whether or not there really isn’t enough support for the bill by putting the issue to a vote, the opposition Democrats like Reilly and Speaker Sheldon Silver are likely to stall the bill in the Assembly’s Ways & Means Committee. That kids, is how a bill doesn’t become a law.

The bill didn’t even make it onto the Committee’s agenda Thursday, and with time quickly running out for the current session, Reilly is probably high-fiving his cronies as he waits for the inevitable to occur. If the bill isn’t voted on by Monday, it’s another year without MMA in the Empire State.

“All we want up here is a vote,” said Marc Ratner, the UFC’s Vice President of Governmental and Legislative Affairs. “We want it to get to the floor, and let the members vote on it.”

According to the bill’s sponsor, Democrat Assemblyman Steve Englebright, legalizing the sport will mean an economic boom for the State.

“The state is missing out on the revenue which we could use for many other things that we need this year, such as funding for our schools, universities, libraries,”  Englebright explained.

Reilly, of course, puts a different spin on it.

“We are trying to eradicate violence in this state, not approve it,” said Reilly. “This is very harmful to the fighters, this is not going to bring money into the state.”

Next on Reilly’s agenda will be having movies, television, video games, hunting, boxing, hockey, football and pro-wrestling banned from New York.

 

 

New York MMA Legalization Bill Passes Through Another Hoop; May Be For Naught


(“Mr. Reilly, how long will it take for you to produce these documents? It’s been five days already.”)

The bill to regulate MMA in New York State, A04146A, was passed by a margin of 16-3 by a Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development committee vote today and will be passed along for voting by various other departments before a final decision on the matter is made by State Assembly.

Unfortunately for MMA fans in the Empire state, the bill will likely not be pushed through in time for a vote before the current session ends in seven days, meaning it will be back to the drawing board next session.


(“Mr. Reilly, how long will it take for you to produce these documents? It’s been five days already.”)

The bill to regulate MMA in New York State, A04146A, was passed by a margin of 16-3 by a Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development committee vote today and will be passed along for voting by various other departments before a final decision on the matter is made by State Assembly.

Unfortunately for MMA fans in the Empire state, the bill will likely not be pushed through in time for a vote before the current session ends in seven days, meaning it will be back to the drawing board next session.

Before it can be voted on by the Assembly, A04146A it will have to Codes Committee so liability and legal issues can be addressed before being passed onto the Ways and Means Committee,who will look at the dollars and cents of sanctioning the sport and if passed, only then will it be greenlit for the the Rules Committee to decide if the bill should see the light of day in the Assembly voting chamber.

If vocal MMA cock-blocker Bob Reilly gets his way, the bill will once again stall in the Assembly and be sent back to Senate for consideration in the fall. Similar bills have suffered the same fate as the one Reilly hopes will quash A04146A — a lack of time and the precedence of more pressing matters before Assembly members leave for their summer break.

Although most of those MMA supporters who are more versed on the inner workings of State government than we are are all but convinced that the bill will not make it to a final vote, according to The Fight Lawyer, Justin Klein, there is an off chance that it could take a shortcut to the Assembly floor.

“Worth noting that there are a significant number of assembly members pushing the Assembly Speaker to let the bill go straight to the floor for an up or down vote after passage out of the Tourism Committee,” Klein wrote in a blog post today. “Time will tell.”

Attention New Yorkers: There Are Two Very Good Reasons Why You Should Call Into Work Sick Tomorrow

If you live in New York and you’re an MMA fan, Tuesday is a very worthwhile day for you to call in sick and take a trek downtown.
There are two big events happening that day in the Big Apple.
First, the Coalition to Legalize mixed Martial Arts in New Y…



If you live in New York and you’re an MMA fan, Tuesday is a very worthwhile day for you to call in sick and take a trek downtown.

There are two big events happening that day in the Big Apple.

First, the Coalition to Legalize mixed Martial Arts in New York will be holding a lunchtime rally at 250 Broadway in Manhattan across the street from city hall at the district office of Sheldon Silver, the Speaker of the New York State Assembly.

Organizers ask that you bring thoughtfully worded picket signs, but no audio equipment.

"If you are a fan, fighter, gym owner, business owner, or organization official who wants to start the 2011 New York State legislative calendar by letting our government know we want legalized and regulated mixed martial arts in New York State, please come show your support! Let’s gather together to show our legislators that New York State is not respecting the wishes of its voters! Let’s remind our legislators that mixed martial arts is a professional sport and in need of regulation! Let’s remind our legislators how much business our state loses and how many jobs are lost to neighboring states where mixed martial arts is properly sanctioned," CLMMANY’s Stephen Koepfer said in a press release sent out in December. "Let’s remind our legislators that we care about the safety of our athletes! Let’s remind our legislators that it is the people of New York State who vote for them, and that WE WANT LEGALIZED AND REGULATED MIXED MARTIAL ARTS IN NEW YORK STATE !"

If rallies and protests aren’t your bag and you have an aversion to the cold, you can head over to the Roseland Ballroom to meet all eight of the contestants in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix. Besides the opportunity to snag a few fist-pose photos and autographs, there’s also the opportunity to win merchandise and tickets to this weekend’s event in New Jersey.

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