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MMA in New York: Does It Matter to the UFC or Anyone Outside New York Anymore?

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…

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.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

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.”)

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.”

New York Tourism Committee Approves MMA Bill, Obstacles Still Remain

MMAJunkie.com reports that earlier today the New York State Assembly’s Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development committee passed a bill regulating mixed martial arts in the state of New York.The committee passed bill A04146A by a vote of 1…

MMAJunkie.com reports that earlier today the New York State Assembly’s Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development committee passed a bill regulating mixed martial arts in the state of New York.

The committee passed bill A04146A by a vote of 16-3 and is a first step towards full legalization of the sport in the Empire State.

Several obstacles remain, however, that must be cleared before a vote can take place on the Assembly’s floor. Also, only seven days remain on their legislative calendar, forcing supporting lawmakers to move quickly on the matter.

The bill will now go to the Codes Committee which deals with the legal aspects of the bill and, if all goes well, bill A04146A will go to the Ways and Means Committee that deals with the financial aspects of the bill

The Rules Committee, which deals with the assembly’s activities on the floor, will be the final obstacle before the bill reaches a vote.

Legislators on both sides of the issue have been adamantly at work on the issue, with Democratic Assemblyman Bob Reilly as the biggest opponent. It is said that Reilly has the support of Speaker Sheldon Silver who will make the decision as to whether the bill can even receive a vote.

Assemblyman Steven Englebright is the biggest supporter in the Assembly and is optimistic that if the bill reaches the floor that it will be passed, even if they need to enlist the help of Republican votes.

Hopefully lawmakers can reach an agreement on the matter and finally bring the fastest growing sport into the Big Apple.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

MMA: New York Senate Finally Passes the Bill to Legalize MMA, Assembly Next

New York, you’re one step closer to the promised land.Earlier today, the New York Senate passed a unanimous vote of 42-18 in favor of a bill that would legalize MMA in the Empire State.The bill faced serious opposition in the past, and today proved no …

New York, you’re one step closer to the promised land.

Earlier today, the New York Senate passed a unanimous vote of 42-18 in favor of a bill that would legalize MMA in the Empire State.

The bill faced serious opposition in the past, and today proved no different on all ends of the spectrum, but the support of 42 senators outweighed the 18 detractors, leading to the bill passing through Senate.

While MMA has not been officially made legal in New York yet, the passing of the bill through the New York Senate was a necessary step—one that was taken as a complete victory by Dana White and others on Twitter and even Facebook.

The next necessary step is to get the bill passed through the Assembly, where Bob Reilly and other New York State Officials hold a seat, and in the past, that has also been an area of concern.

However, with how unanimously it passed through the Senate, there’s little doubt that it does stand a chance to make it through the assembly.

Will this be an easy feat?

Absolutely not.

it will involve the presentation of many strong, iron-willed facts to support the passing of the legislation as well as many more strong, iron-willed arguments to retort against the opposition’s case as to why the state should not legalize this sport, and history has shown that once this type of opposition is faced, it rarely ever loses.

It will not be an easy task to pass this legislation out of the State Assembly at all.

Then again, silencing the cries for an MMA event emanating from The Big Apple will not be an easy feat either.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Strikeforce New York Fan Experience Highlights: Heavyweight Grand Prix Fighters Assemble, Werdum Makes That Weird Face Again

(That’s what we call commitment to the bit. Props: MMA.us)
Approximately 1,500 MMA fans swarmed the Roseland Ballroom in New York City yesterday afternoon for a special meet-and-greet with the participants from Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix. T…

(That’s what we call commitment to the bit. Props: MMA.us)

Approximately 1,500 MMA fans swarmed the Roseland Ballroom in New York City yesterday afternoon for a special meet-and-greet with the participants from Strikeforce’s heavyweight grand prix. The action begins this Saturday at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with two quarterfinal matches — Fedor Emelianenko vs. Antonio Silva and Andrei Arlovski vs. Sergei Kharitonov — and three reserve matches, featuring Shane Del Rosario, Chad Griggs, and Valentijn Overeem. If you’re going to be there in person, please swing by the press pit to receive a complimentary fist-bump from BG.

We’ve collected some video highlights from yesterday’s festivities after the jump: First, all eight members of the heavyweight GP are introduced to the crowd by horrific YAMMA/Affliction vet Scott Ferrall. Then, Alistair Overeem talks to Ariel Helwani about his new love of American football, getting ducked by Fedor, and Dana White’s opinion that he’s not a top ten heavyweight. Finally, Fabricio Werdum shows off his special move for the tournament, and we have to admit, it’s pretty damn special. Check it out.

New York Tells UFC to Go F*ck Themselves, Basically

("This one. Right up your ass.")
Despite a high-profile appearance at Madison Square Garden last month in which the UFC announced its intentions to bring MMA to New York State — as well as a reported $75,000 in palm-grease to An…

("This one. Right up your ass.")

Despite a high-profile appearance at Madison Square Garden last month in which the UFC announced its intentions to bring MMA to New York State — as well as a reported $75,000 in palm-grease to Andrew Cuomo’s gubernatorial campaign — MMA Payout broke the news last night that Governor Cuomo neglected to include a provision in the state’s 2011-2012 budget that would sanction MMA in New York. In fact, Cuomo’s Executive Budget actually proposes eliminating the chairperson of the state athletic commission altogether. So not only is the Governor not backing MMA as Zuffa had hoped, he doesn’t seem to have a high opinion of combat sports in general.

At this point, the MMA ban in New York can still be lifted through the more traditional route of a legislative bill — of which there are currently two in the assembly and one in the senate, all awaiting review — but we saw how well that worked last time. Making MMA part of the state budget was supposed to be the easy way in, and it just ain’t happening. If I were Dana White, I’d be furious right now. Money has been donated. Big press conferences have been held. And now, the current timetable of MMA regulation in New York is: Who freakin’ knows?