We’ve come a long way in the last twenty years of mixed martial arts history, with the sport taking the final step to being completely legal in the United States just yesterday (Tuesday March 22, 2016). The New York assembly gathered, in absence of the crooked politician Sheldon Silver who had hindered the MMA bill
We’ve come a long way in the last twenty years of mixed martial arts history, with the sport taking the final step to being completely legal in the United States just yesterday (Tuesday March 22, 2016). The New York assembly gathered, in absence of the crooked politician Sheldon Silver who had hindered the MMA bill in the past, to decide the fate of the sport’s future in the mostly boxing dominated state. For those fans of MMA and the UFC in NY, it was a very good day. But it wasn’t without it’s insane moments.
Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman of New York waited with held breath along side the rest of the MMA world, as some particular politicians lashed the sport with dated and bizarre opinions. Watch this brief video highlight of their draconian rants on mixed martial arts and the UFC:
What an uneducated and silly world these people live in, but at least the cameras were rolling to share this example of when people talk without doing any research.
As it stands, the MMA community came away with a big victory, by a margin of 113 votes for and 25 against, mixed martial arts is now legal in the State of New York.
Following the ousting of disgraced former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for accepting illegitimate funds, it was largely believed to be a formality that mixed martial arts (MMA) would finally be legalized in the Empire State, the only one still left in the United States that to not allow pro MMA bouts. However, the UFC
Following the ousting of disgraced former New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver for accepting illegitimate funds, it was largely believed to be a formality that mixed martial arts (MMA) would finally be legalized in the Empire State, the only one still left in the United States that to not allow pro MMA bouts.
However, the UFC had met significant resistance nonetheless, and that was mainly in the form of the issue actually being brought up to vote. It is believed that it will be brought to a vote — where it’s expected to be overwhelmingly approved — but that didn’t stop some of the NY Assembly members from taking some absolutely ridiculous stances on the sport today.
That was never more evident than when former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman, who has been heavily instrumental into MMA’s legalization efforts in his home state, posted a deserved response to a previous tweet by NewsDay Sports’s Mark La Monica describing the scene where Assembly member Daniel O’Donnell called MMA “gay porn with a different ending”:
Sadly for fight fans in New York, it will be at least another year until professional mixed marital arts is finally legalized in the state.Newsday reported on Tuesday that the bill to sanction professional MMA in New York would, for the fourth year str…
Sadly for fight fans in New York, it will be at least another year until professional mixed marital arts is finally legalized in the state.
Newsday reported on Tuesday that the bill to sanction professional MMA in New York would, for the fourth year straight, not be going to the State Assembly floor for a full vote.
According to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a noted opponent of the bill, the decision to exclude the bill from the current legislative session’s agenda was made after a meeting of the Democratic Conference on Tuesday night.
“The conference has asked not to put it on the agenda,” Silver revealed to reporters at the state’s capital.
In March, the New York State Senate once again approved the bill to legalize and regulate the sport, passing by its widest margin ever. However, it failed to gain support in the Assembly, despite having 64 sponsors.
“We also feel bad for New York’s arenas—large and small, particularly those upstate—that are struggling and have worked alongside us to pass the legislation,” UFC chairman Lorenzo Fertitta said in a statement. “I guess New York’s loss will continue to be New Jersey’s, Massachusetts’, Pennsylvania’s and Toronto’s gain.”
Earlier this month, both the state of Connecticut and the entire country of Canada lifted their bans on the sport, making New York the last place in North America where professional MMA is illegal.
Connecticut’s state Senate voted 26-9 in favor of regulating the sport while Canada’s House of Commons voted overwhelmingly for a provision that would legalize MMA under the country’s criminal code.
New York remains the last hold out on the continent mostly due to opposition from several women’s groups who claim that MMA is misogynistic as well as the Culinary Union of Las Vegas, whose long-standing feud with the Fertitta brothers over their labor practices has halted any progress within the state for the sport.
“This year’s new, absurd, offensive and completely erroneous charge used to justify the defeat of MMA legislation was that MMA is anti-woman and leads to domestic violence,” Fertitta said. “This is a deception fabricated by a Las Vegas union that is recklessly and callously trying to use an important societal issue to try and punish the UFC. It isn’t honest and doesn’t work.”
For the sake of New York fight fans, I hope that 2014 will be the year that officials will finally drop the politics and bring MMA to the Empire State.
(Image #5 on a Google search of “Canada MMA.” Therefore, relevant.)
Good news, Potato Nation! Thanks to some legal mumbo jumbo (although I’m told it was more “mumbo” than “jumbo”), our beloved sport has taken another giant step forward in the fight to become legalized in all 50 states. And Canada.
Yesterday, a bill to legalize mixed martial arts was passed in the Connecticut State Senate by a margin of 26-9, after passing in the State Assembly by a vote of 117-26 on May 7th. Although the bill still has to be signed into law by Governor Dannel Malloy, the UFC’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Marc Ratner (a.k.a the man who was also behind the recent marijuana threshold increase for international UFC events), told MMAFighting that he is more than optimistic for the bill’s chances:
Today is a real big day for the sport. I want people to understand there are 47 states that have athletic commissions that have approved the sport, and two states without commissions that allow the sport.
We feel very confident [the bill] will be with the overwhelming support.
Additionally, a bill that aimed to clarify the legality of MMA in Canada also passed 267-9 in Canada’s House of Commons yesterday. You might be saying, “Wait…MMA illegal in Canada? Then how UFC?” While you should probably learn how to use transitional words before moving forward in life, we’ll allow Dave Meltzer to explain Canada’s previously hazy laws regarding MMA:
A bill that formally changed the criminal code in Canada to remove the grey area regarding whether mixed martial arts is legal passed 267-9 in Canada’s House of Commons, The bill amends an 1880’s law that stated that prize fighting was illegal in Canada. That law was amended in 1934 to legalize boxing. The law had been interpreted in various ways throughout the country. Many provinces that had allowed MMA events, interpreted it by saying that in 1934, there was no such thing as MMA, that they could interpret the amendment of allowing fighting within the realm of a professionally regulated sport, to cover it. But in other provinces, most notably Saskatchewan and British Columbia, there was more uncertainty about what was and wasn’t legal.
Although two major obstacles have been cleared with the passing of these bills, what does this mean for the never-ending battle to legalize MMA in New York? Simply put: Not Much.
(Image #5 on a Google search of “Canada MMA.” Therefore, relevant.)
Good news, Potato Nation! Thanks to some legal mumbo jumbo (although I’m told it was more “mumbo” than “jumbo”), our beloved sport has taken another giant step forward in the fight to become legalized in all 50 states. And Canada.
Yesterday, a bill to legalize mixed martial arts was passed in the Connecticut State Senate by a margin of 26-9, after passing in the State Assembly by a vote of 117-26 on May 7th. Although the bill still has to be signed into law by Governor Dannel Malloy, the UFC’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Marc Ratner (a.k.a the man who was also behind the recent marijuana threshold increase for international UFC events), told MMAFighting that he is more than optimistic for the bill’s chances:
Today is a real big day for the sport. I want people to understand there are 47 states that have athletic commissions that have approved the sport, and two states without commissions that allow the sport.
We feel very confident [the bill] will be with the overwhelming support.
Additionally, a bill that aimed to clarify the legality of MMA in Canada also passed 267-9 in Canada’s House of Commons yesterday. You might be saying, “Wait…MMA illegal in Canada? Then how UFC?” While you should probably learn how to use transitional words before moving forward in life, we’ll allow Dave Meltzer to explain Canada’s previously hazy laws regarding MMA:
A bill that formally changed the criminal code in Canada to remove the grey area regarding whether mixed martial arts is legal passed 267-9 in Canada’s House of Commons, The bill amends an 1880′s law that stated that prize fighting was illegal in Canada. That law was amended in 1934 to legalize boxing. The law had been interpreted in various ways throughout the country. Many provinces that had allowed MMA events, interpreted it by saying that in 1934, there was no such thing as MMA, that they could interpret the amendment of allowing fighting within the realm of a professionally regulated sport, to cover it. But in other provinces, most notably Saskatchewan and British Columbia, there was more uncertainty about what was and wasn’t legal.
Although two major obstacles have been cleared with the passing of these bills, what does this mean for the never-ending battle to legalize MMA in New York? Simply put: Not Much.
As you damn well know, the bill to legalize the sport in New York was killed by the State Assembly last year. With this year’s Assembly session set to end on June 20th, it looks like we can expect more of the same. The bill was set to be heard yesterday, but in typical NY fashion, it wasn’t. At this point, Ratner is just hoping that the bill makes it to the floor to be voted on, which is literally the best we can hope for nowadays:
It was supposed to be heard yesterday in conference by the Democrats in the Assembly, but it wasn’t.
Next week, it’ll be heard. All we want is a vote. If we get out of the conference and have a vote, we’ll win. It would be very sad if it gets stuck in committee.
I hope you’re happy, New York: You now join such prestigious company as Montana and Alaska in the fight against the legalization of MMA. At least Montana and Alaska have the excuse of simply not having athletic commissions to regulate the sport (in fact, neither of the two states have laws prohibiting MMA events from taking place). You, on the other hand, are stubbornly backing a law that was passed in 1997 during the height of the “human cockfighting” debate and are doing so with the support of the most crooked worker’s union in the goddamn country. And now, even when a state that has legislation pertaining to what defines a pickle legalizes the sport, you still remain steadfast in your childish ignorance. I can’t even look at you anymore.
“It’s up to you, New York, New York.” Most New Yorkers know the words to the theme song originally performed by Liza Minnelli from Martin Scorcese’s film, “New York, New York,” written by composer John Kander and lyr…
“It’s up to you, New York, New York.”
Most New Yorkers know the words to the theme song originally performed by Liza Minnelli from Martin Scorcese’s film, “New York, New York,” written by composer John Kander and lyricist FreddElb, and made famous by the version sung by the late crooner Frank Sinatra.
However, New Yorkers will not know about the UFC holding an event in New York unless legislation passes through the State Assembly this year.
The State Assembly being the final hurdle, the bill killer if you will.The Assembly is as effective at killing the bill to legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York as Jon Jones is at raining down vicious elbows.
The UFC light heavyweight champion was in Madison Square Garden last week, home to some of the greatest fights in history, to promote his fight in New Jersey. A common occurrence when the UFC heads to New Jersey, and a huge tease for the fans in New York.
New Yorkers were more than teased when news broke in February in the on-going court battle between Zuffa and New York State, that a loophole did in fact exist, allowing the UFC, or any professional MMA promotion, to hold an event in the Empire State, without the sport becoming legal.
During a media day to promote UFC 159 at Madison Square Garden last week, Dana White killed any hope of that happening, saying that would not be an avenue the UFC would explore.
“We’d never do anything sneaky,” White said.“We’re either going to get sanctioned here or we’re not.We will only do it if the government…you know.”
White, at one point said he’s “over it” in regards to talking about MMA becoming legal in New York.
He isn’t alone.Think of all the fans, the grass roots leaders like NY MMA Now—who fight the good fight—and host rallies to push for the cause.Or the fans—who take off from work to come to a rally, or a UFC press conference, or events like the Metro PCS-sponsored fan day in Manhattan last week.
For the last four years, UFC and MMA fans in New York have been feverishly waiting for Christmas morning, only to find out Santa won’t be coming, as the bill died in Assembly, failing to get to the Assembly floor for a vote.
White acknowledging the UFC won’t attempt to hold an event using the loophole, combined with an uncertain timetable for the ongoing court case between Zuffa and New York State, means the fate of New Yorkers seeing the UFC come to their hometown state will now return to rest in the hands of the government.
Specifically the New York State Assembly, since once again the bill to legalize MMA in New York flew through the New York Senate with a 47-14 vote.
“It’s just ridiculous,” White explained.“We get more votes (In the Senate) than we got last year.It’s just to the point now where it’s just absolutely ridiculous.”
White scoffed at the idea in the Crain’s NY article suggesting that the MMA is not yet legal in NY because the UFC has become a “useful pot” in regards to the lobbying and PR money they have doled out in the last few years.“Trust me, that’s not the reason it’s being held up,” he said, before bringing up once again who he thinks is the main reason.
“Guys, it’s the Culinary Union,” White exclaimed.“The culinary union bused a bunch of people up to Albany last week to try to protest up there.It’s 100 percent the Las Vegas Culinary Union.“It’s being held up because the Las Vegas Culinary Union is that powerful in New York.”
UFC owner Lorenzo Fertitta was in Albany a day prior to the UFC 159 pre-fight press conference, to speak with legislators on having the sport legalized.He told Jim Genia,Zuffa would “Hold their options open,” in regards to holding an event without legislation being passed.
“If the court comes down in our favor in that instance,” Fertitta said.We will have to take a step back, evaluate, and if we think it makes sense, we’ll do it.”
That would appear to contradict what White had said about the UFC not doing anything “sneaky.”
After the UFC 159 post-fight presser had concluded, White was asked about his and Fertitta’s statements from earlier in the week.
“If Lorenzo said that we’d keep our options open…Believe me when you talk about Lorenzo and if he says he’d keep his options open, I don’t what he meant, but he didn’t mean that,” White explained.“Lorenzo is the last one on earth…Lorenzo is a former athletic commissioner.Lorenzo is so by the book, so by the book.”
White went on in further detail backing up what he said about the UFC owner, explaining he was adamant about not getting sponsors from online gambling companies, and that Fertitta was also against him allowing the ring card girls Arianny Celeste, and Brittany Palmer to pose in Playboy.
When pressed further on his feelings on the issue, mainly if any part of him would like to use the loophole to put on an event without legislation being passed just to stick to the politicians, White did not hold back:
“You know what you do, and I don’t like to say this, because there’s a lot of fans in New York, and I appreciate the fans in New York.Talking about the politicians…The biggest way you say F**k you to the politicians in New York is you don’t have a show in New York.Are they hurting my business one bit?No. I just stayed in New York.I f*****g ate in great restaurants.Loved the hotel I stayed in.Then I drove over here.Took me about 30 minutes to get here, and I did a fight here that did a 2.7 million dollar gate, and all the things that happened over here, we gave the money to New Jersey.New Jersey got all the money.I still hung out in New York.I had a blast in New York.And guess what?The host hotel is here in New Jersey.They got all the rooming nights, all the people that came over, people coming over to the hotel and getting all the fighters, everybody flew into New Jersey and we did it in New Jersey.That’s the ‘f**k you’ to the politicians in New York.”
“I’m not doing s**t in New York man,” White concluded. “I’m not doing anything in New York, ’til they do the right thing and stop this dirty bulls**t they are doing, we’ll do everything in New Jersey.
The legislative calendar ends in June of this year, so we will know very soon if MMA becomes legal in New York.We know the UFC won’t be coming anywhere closer than New Jersey unless it’s a press conference or fan event, until it passes.
It’s up to you, New York State Assembly.It’s up to you.
Michael Stets is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first hand unless noted otherwise.
The UFC’s 20th anniversary show will still go down this November, but a plan to land in New York City looks less and less likely by the day. Late last year, UFC president Dana White mentioned that his hopes were high that mixed martial arts would final…
The UFC’s 20th anniversary show will still go down this November, but a plan to land in New York City looks less and less likely by the day.
Late last year, UFC president Dana Whitementioned that his hopes were high that mixed martial arts would finally be legalized and regulated in the state of New York at some point in 2013.The promotion would then target a November date at the famed Madison Square Garden (MSG) for a major pay-per-view celebrating 20 years since the UFC first started.
Many politicians in New York have stood up in support of MMA being regulated in the state, but the legislature there still has not had a final vote on legalizing the sport.MMA legislation has passed in the state senate on a couple of occasions in the past, but it has not been brought up for a vote in the state assembly by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.
In addition, MMA was not added to the state budget, which makes it highly unlikely the sport will land in New York this year.
“They didn’t put it in the budget,” White said during the UFC on Fox 7 media day on Thursday when addressing the topic of MMA in New York. “Anything can happen. I’m not as optimistic as I was a few weeks ago.”
For several years the UFC has lobbied to get the sport legalized in New York, but despite their best efforts, every time MMA seems close to becoming a reality, a brick wall appears out of nowhere.
The most notable obstacle according to White is an ongoing battle with the Culinary Union based out of Las Vegas. The Culinary Workers Union 226 is a Las Vegas-based union that has battled with Station Casinos for several years.Station Casinos is not unionized, and also just so happens to be owned by Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta—who also own the UFC.
The Culinary Union has concerted considerable effort to block the UFC from landing in New York as they try to mount pressure on Station Casinos to unionize their work force.
“Everybody wants it there except the Culinary Union,” White stated.“Every time we try to move forward and progress in New York, the Las Vegas Culinary Union starts hammering everybody with letters and they’re working the politicians and everything else.”
MMA’s legalization in New York isn’t technically dead for 2013, but White’s expectations remain low that a deal will get done this year.Either way, the UFC will move forward with a major show to celebrate the 20th anniversary for the promotion—it just won’t likely land in New York City.
“There’s going to be a 20-year anniversary,” said White.“It’s just not going to be at MSG.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted
Sadly for fight fans in New York, it will be at least another year until professional mixed marital arts is finally legalized in the state.