MMA Finally Legalized in New York

It has been a very, very long road, but MMA, after almost 20 years of being banned in the Empire State, has been legalized. We were very close last year to getting it legalized, but time ran out on voting and it had to be shelved, but now all is well.

New York was long the only holdout in having MMA legalized nationwide. The fact that New York was the only state having a ban on MMA was ridiculous, but now that injustice has been corrected.

The vote passed State Assembly with a unanimous vote, with the final tally being 113 for, and 25 against. Some of the dissenting voices had extremely bizarre reasoning for opposing the legalization of MMA, including homophobia, and the idea that Madison Square Garden should only be used for team sporting events. The bill to legalize MMA had actually passed the senate for seven straight years prior to this, but always got shot down by opponents before even getting to the State Assembly.

The UFC, the world’s largest and most influential MMA organization, has spent the last ten years doing everything in their power to bring their brand to New York. Madison Square Garden has been a dream destination for the company, and this year is finally going to be the year. Look for the UFC to hold an extremely high profile event at MSG this year, which is sure to generate a great deal of money and tourism for the city, and the state as a whole.

Welcome to the 21st century, New York. You have a lot of catching up to do with MMA, it is a sport that will only grow in the next five years. It’s time to show the dissenting voices that MMA is not a bloodsport, but a highly technical, almost chess-like sport, where both men and woman can headline the same events, and where a woman is actually one of the most popular stars in the biggest organization.