It Doesn't Sound Like MMA is Getting Done in the Assembly This Year

NEW YORK

If you pinned your hopes on sanctioned MMA in New York courtesy of a brand-spanking new law this year, prepare to have your hopes dashed. The New York Daily News is reporting that the man in charge of legislative traffic - Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver - might be putting the issue off for another year.

Said the News:

Yours Truly Was on Yesterday's "The MMA Word" Podcast - Check it Out

AWESOME

I was on Mike Wellman's "The MMA Word" podcast yesterday, rapping about New York MMA and what's going on up in Albany with the MMA bills. Check it for the info, check it out for the insight, check it out just to hear my dulcet tones emanating from your speakers. Just check it out.

Would MMA Lose a Floor Vote in the Assembly?

NEW YORK

An editorial in the Albany Times-Union today is calling for the State Assembly to allow the MMA bill to the floor for a vote, with the presumption that it will lose such a vote if it were to happen.

Given the amount of support the sport has by both the Democrats and the Republicans, it's long been asserted that if the Assembly's MMA bill were to finally escape committee it wouldn't be long before it was made into law. Suggesting otherwise kind of flies in the face of basic math and logic...

The Best of Bellator's Pay-Per-View

BELLATOR

A lot of cool and interesting things happened at Bellator 120, which was the organization's first foray into the world of pay-per-view and, given how things played out, quite possibly their last. Of course, at the top of the list is former lightweight champ Michael Chandler losing a split decision to last-minute replacement Will Brooks. Then there's washed-up Tito Ortiz choking middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko to sleep, promising featherweight Shahbulat Shamhalaev getting his arm broken... the hits just kept on coming.

ROC 48 Postscript

NEW JERSEY

From what I saw on the GoFightLive broadcast, Ring of Combat 48 was a solid installment in the venerable Northeast promotion. However, since I wasn't there, I can't really give you much personal on-the-scene insight. But hey, what's Twitter and Instagram for if not to turn the whole world into a journalist collective?

Here then is some additional perspective on ROC 48, courtesy of social media.

Ring of Combat 48: Liveblog Part 3

NEW JERSEY

Next bout is a flyweight title fight.

Matt Rizzo vs. Jimmy Grant

Round 1: Sporting a decent height and reach advantage, Rizzo's strategy is clear: pick Grant off from a distance. Grant counters with a takedown, the scramble furiously, and Grant ends up first with a guillotine attempt and then is in Rizzo's guard. Rizzo gets back to his feet, steps in to do something, and BAM! Grant blasts him with an uppercut that has the taller guy KO'd. That's all she wrote. Grant is now the flyweight champ.

Ring of Combat 48: Liveblog Part 2

NEW JERSEY

Next bout:

Michael Elshamy vs. Zed Mitchell

Elshamy's got Matt Serra in his corner, so maybe that means he knows something about grappling.

Ring of Combat 48: Liveblog Part 1

NEW JERSEY

Welcome to the ROC 48 liveblog, which I'm doing from the comfort of my home office thanks to GoFightLive and it's absolutely perfect stream. Since I'm not cageside for this one, I won't be able to tell you which fighter freaked out and trashed the locker room after his loss, and which section of the audience threw a hissy fit because their hero got crushed. But I can - and will - describe the fights. So giddyup!

Check Out These Photos From Victory 5

NEW YORK

Once upon a time there was maybe one photographer shooting New York MMA shows. Of course, back then there was only the Underground Combat League churning out fights, and that lone photog was Anil Melwani (whose web gallery is down for some reason). But nowadays there are tons of shows, and at each, a variety of lenses aimed at the action.

Here's Jacob Klensin's collection from the last Victory show. Check it out.

Ring of Combat 48 Tonight on GoFightLive

NEW JERSEY

Ring of Combat 48 is tonight in Atlantic City, N.J., and with it will come all the usual thrills top-notch local fights bring. But if you're like me, and not keen on trekking to South Jersey, there is another option to take in the action: GoFightLive.

Go here to order the online pay-per-view, which is $16.99 and starts at 8:30ish (I say "ish" because one of the fights on the card got scrapped, so the start time might be pushed back a little).

Watch Rival New York Promoters Break Bread on This Week's East Coast MMA Show

NEW YORK

It's a beautiful thing when rival promoters can set aside their differences and talk shop - which is exactly what happened on this week's installment of the East Coast MMA Show. With host Tom Kilkenny of Aggressive Combat Championship behind the wheel, and guests Tom Sconzo of New York Fight Exchange and Jerome Mickle - NYFE's reigning welterweight champ - in the passenger seat, listeners are taken along for a ride that's both educational and entertaining.

Topics touched upon include, well, pretty much everything to do with the New York MMA scene. Definitely check it out.

Throwback Thursday: Ricco Rodriguez vs. Tim Sylvia at UFC 41

UFC

Once upon a time in 2003, our favorite premiere MMA organization came to Atlantic City, N.J. and had their heavyweight champ take on some tall dude from Pat Miletich's camp. Said tall dude had only fought in the Octagon once before, so it was assumed that the champ was going to kill him. But I'm talking about UFC 41, which saw champ Ricco Rodriguez's clash with challenger Tim Sylvia, and, well, yeah. That was the end of Rodriguez's title reign.

Battle at the Aviator Poster

NEW YORK

Will the Assembly Vote on MMA This Year?

NEW YORK

This week the New York State Senate did their part to bring sanctioned MMA to New York. Now the question remains as to whether the Assembly will do their half, which is necessary for any bills to become law. While no one can no for sure - politics is a strange, nebulous beast that's hard to pin down - the New York Daily News is putting their chips down on it not happening.

Said the Daily News:

Tap.Nap.Snap Interview with Sambo Steve and Al Iaquinta

NEW YORK

"Sambo" Steve Koepfer and Al Iaquinta have been working on a film project called "Choke Artist", and to generate some buzz for it they've been making some media rounds. The MMA Journalist will have something in-depth up on the project soon, but in the meantime, here's the latest edition of Tap.Nap.Snap's radio show, featuring Sambo Steve and Iaquinta.

Enjoy!

Check Out This FIGHTLAND Piece on Fighting in New York

NEW YORK

Sometimes I wrote for other outlets. Here's something about the recent Victory 5 show in Manhattan on VICE's Fightland site.

Aggressive Combat Championship 7 Poster

NEW YORK

Analyzing New York's 2014 MMA Bills

NEW YORK

The New York State Senate voted to approve a bill that would allow sanctioned pro MMA into the state yesterday. Meanwhile, the Assembly may or may not do anything with their versions of the bill. But just what exactly is getting approved (or not, as the case may be)? To answer that question, here's a breakdown of the most salient points of what the Senate approved and what's likely be voted on or outright ignored by the Assembly.

The Senate voted 44-16 that Bill S06501 should pass, and the piece of legislation is virtually a mirror image of A08775, which is the bill that has the greatest shot at success in the Assembly. Given that there are a total of six MMA bills being kicked around in the Assembly, you might be wondering what makes A08775 the most promising of the bunch. Well, the answer to that lies with who is sponsoring it: Assemblyman Joseph Morelle, who is the Majority Leader - a title that lends a lot of juice to his legislative efforts. In addition, there are 56 other Assemblymen who've signed their name to the bill, so if anything makes it to a vote in the Assembly, chances are it will be this one.

UFC 173 Primer: Renan Barao in Action

UFC

There's no UFC scheduled for this weekend, only a Bellator pay-per-view (!), but UFC 173 is set for the following Saturday, and at the top of the card, bantamweight champ Renan Barao gets a chance to further make his case that he's one of the pound-for-pound best in the world.

And he just might be. After all, do you remember what he did to challenger Eddie Wineland?

New York State Senate Passes 2014 MMA Bill (UPDATED)

NEW YORK

The New York State Senate passed bill S6502 today, which is their version of the bill that will make pro MMA legal in state. The final vote was 44 to 16.

This marks the fifth year in a row that the Senate has put their stamp of approval on sanctioning the sport.

Obviously, the Assembly has to do their part as well for the bills to be merged into something the governor can sign into law - and the Assembly has yet to even fully address the issue. Still, approval in the Senate is a sure indicator that there is support for MMA among New York's legislature.