New York: In An MMA State of Mind

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That’s what Sinatra was singing about, right? MMA legalization?

So, it’s finally happened. After eight years of battling in, not just one, but in two different branches of the New York state government, the path is finally clear for MMA to be legalized in the state. This is due to the New York State Assembly finally voting — and passing — a bill that would lift the ban on the sport that was enacted in the state back in 1997, at the height of the John McCain, “human cockfighting” days. I’m sure we all remember how much fun things were back then…

Now, before we get too excited over this news, let’s just remember that the sport isn’t legal yet. What happened this week was just the biggest hurdle in the path to legalization finally getting cleared as, for the first time since the UFC began focusing efforts on getting the Empire State to invite them back, the New York State Assembly finally brought the MMA bill to a vote and, to no one’s surprise, it passed handily by a vote of 113-25.

That’s right. After all these years and after all the arguments had been made about the positive economic impact and the need for creating a regulatory body so that, at the very least, the horror stories we keep hearing about the underground amateur fighting scene in the state can end, there were still 25 idiots who were either too uncaring and ignorant to recognize that the sport isn’t the same as it was 20 years ago or too greedy and corrupt to go against their supporters and do the right thing.

And boy, were there some idiotic comments said on the floor of the assembly prior to the vote.

There was Hon. Ellen Jaffe, who had concerns that MMA glorifies masculinity and violence, while ignoring that, if that accusation true (and it’s debatable), then pretty much every form of media, from TV to movies to video games, as well as multiple sports already allowed to compete in the state, are guilty of the exact same thing.

There was Hon. Deborah Glick, who was thinking about the children and how, if the sport is legalized and presented as, not just entertainment, but a legitimate career path for young athletes, it will result in kids trying to fight each other on schoolyards and youth clubs, in much the same way that we’re always hearing about kids who play football tackling each other in public or stories about kids in little league beating each other senseless with wiffle bats.

There was Hon. Charles Barron, who likened fighters locked in a cage to slavery, which is not only incredibly messed up, but completely untrue, since slaves fighting to the death never happened. Did this guy prepare for the hearing by watching Django Unchained or something? Also, slaves didn’t bite each others’ ears off. You’re think of Tyson/Hollyfield, Charlie.

There was Hon. Catherine Nolan, who cited vague domestic violence statistics and isolated incidents that, unfortunately, happen in every sport, and that she spent countless hours and resources gathering for this debate, by which I mean she did a quick Google search, on a phone she admitted she could barely use, and just mentioned the first result that came up. I guess she was feeling lucky…

And, of course, there was Hon. Daniel O’Donnell, who, for lack of a better argument, went with the tried and true method of getting under the skin of MMA supporters by calling the sport “…[G]ay porn with a different ending.”

Ouch. That one hurt. Real original, buddy.

As someone who can appreciate a good insult, was that the best he could do? That was his way of trying to diminish the value of the sport? Did O’Donnell go to that hearing planning to discuss a serious issue or was he just looking for a platform to test out his awful standup comedy material? Is he only doing this state legislative nonsense as a way to launch a career in entertainment, like his much more well-known, and much more rational, sister Rosie?

Seriously, though, how random was it that one of the people deciding the fate of the sport in the state was Rosie O’Donnell’s brother? Small world, I guess.

Very ignorant world too, I guess.

Thankfully, for all the either willfully ignorant comments we heard, or the legitimately ignorant comments we heard, they were few and far between. The consensus was that there was no logical reason not to allow the sport in the state and that regulating it and giving authority to a commission to oversee the growth and safety of the sport will be beneficial to all the athletes who are going to enter the sport no matter what a bunch of stuffy old bureaucrats have to say to the contrary.

Plus, in a state that, just like every other, is looking for additional revenue streams, MMA is prepared to bring a lot of money to the state. Not only is UFC committed to bringing major fights to the state, second tier promotions like Bellator and World Series of Fighting will bring shows to the state. You’ll also have hundreds of smaller promotions that will host cards in the state, as well as countless promotions that will start up to feature local New York talent now that they can do so legally. The economic impact is going to be huge, just like it has been for every other state.

Again, before we get too excited, we have to remember that, technically, the sport isn’t legal yet. The bill to lift the ban was passed by the New York State Assembly this past week and it was already voted on and passed by the New York State Senate last month (per usual). We’re close but not quite there yet.

Now, as my Schoolhouse Rock-level of education has taught me, the bill must now go to the governor to be signed before becoming law, but considering Gov. Andrew Cuomo has already said he would sign an MMA bill if it finds its way to his desk (and included MMA in his state budget for this year), it seems like a sure thing and is not a matter of if but when.

Then, once the governor signs it, it’s on to the New York State Athletic Commission, who have 120 days to adopt and draft rules for how the sport will be regulated in the state and who will enforce those regulations, but that shouldn’t be too difficult a task, as they have the Unified Rules available, and I’m sure there are plenty of MMA officials who will be willing to help put everything in place so we can get cards happening by the second half of 2016.

UFC is already planning on it, as they have booked a date for Madison Square Garden in November and, after the news came out this week, they surely have every intention of using that date. They already have plans to build a monster card with every big name they can get their hands on, including New York natives like Jon Jones and Chris Weidman (makes you wonder how badly UFC wants both men to win their titles back…).

They may even try to book the MSG show as Ronda Rousey’s return fight or throw Connor McGregor on there, since he wants to fight on every card against every champion who currently exists in the sport (or they’ll do McGregor-Diaz III after Lil’ Stockton beats him again at UFC 200). Either way, no matter who fights on the card, we know UFC is committed to bringing their best as a show of appreciation for finally making it.

And yeah, it’s true it shouldn’t be this big a deal that the last holdout in legalizing the sport finally came to its senses, but, considering how hard it is to get bipartisan support on anything in today’s political environment, not to mention all the corruption that was at the heart of why it took so long to get this bill passed, to the point that the breakthrough in making it to last Tuesday was the Speaker of the New York Assembly getting arrested on friggin’ corruption charges, it’s amazing that we finally made it here. After so many had lost hope that it would ever happen, we can finally talk about MMA in New York as a real thing and not just some sort of theoretical construct of people punching each other in the face.

As a wise, blue-eyed man once said, in regards to New York, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” Well, MMA has already made it anywhere, so it’s about time it made it there. It shouldn’t have taken this long, but better late than never, right?

Now, let’s get it on! You with me, O’Donnell? I know you are…see you in New York.

Evan Zivin has been writing for 411 MMA since May of 2013. Evan loves the sport, and likes to takes a lighthearted look at the world of MMA in his writing…usually.