Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Update on Status of Legalization of MMA in New York

Just an update on the status of the legalization of pro MMA in New York: There are currently two bills in play that could bring sanctioned cage fighting back into the Empire State, one penned by the embattled Governor Paterson and included within his 2010-2011 budget proposal, and one penned by the legislature. (As you may remember, the State Assembly came damn close to passing their MMA bill last year, but an unforseen senatorial coup derailed that train.) The status of both the Governor's bill and the legislature's bill? Who the hell knows. Governor Paterson's budget proposal was supposed to pass final muster by April 1st, but the New York Daily News is reporting that no one - not the Governor, not the legislature, no one - believes that's going to happen. Meanwhile, according to the legislative director of one of the co-sponsors of the Assembly's bill, pretty much zero movement has taken place on that front, with the MMA bill languishing in the Tourism, Arts and Sports Development Committee - the Committee where it saw its most heated discussion last year. In short, if you want to see some live MMA here in New York, your options are to either cozy up to your local underground promoter or stare longingly through the window when your nearby martial arts school has sparring night.