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.

ACC Champ Gerald Javier Getting Some Much-Deserved Attention

NEW YORK

Gerald "Lil' Bomb" Javier is an Aggressive Combat Championship title holder, and currently the best sub-featherweight amateur fighter in New York City. Since he's likely going pro soon, the folks at 750 Sq. Feet are doing a documentary on him.

Here's a teaser:

UFC in Albany Today to Do That Thing They Do

NEW YORK

If not for the lobbying efforts of the UFC, the battle for sanctioned MMA in New York would at best be a minor skirmish. It's not a minor skirmish though, and today the Senate will vote to approve their version of the MMA bill - something they've been doing for the past few years. The folks at the UFC are in town for that, making their presence known for the good of the cause.

Five Reasons Why This Weekend's Ring of Combat is Important

NEW JERSEY

Ring of Combat 48 is set to go down this Friday in Atlantic City, N.J., and this particular installment of the seminal Northeast MMA show is one not to be missed. Sure, it will have all the usual trappings of violence and skill, and will feature some of the best and most promising fighters the region has to offer. But ROC 48 has something else going for it in the form of five fighters whose futures could very well involve the letters "U", "F" and "C" - and who doesn't like to have a leg up on the future?

Observations From My Couch: UFC Fight Night 40

UFC

• Albert Tumenov and Justin Salas' knockout victories were cool, but if it happens on the UFC Fight Pass portion of the card, does it even count as having happened?
• Please, no more Manny Gamburyan. Please.
• Johnny Eduardo had just one way to win his bout against Eddie Wineland, and like a fool, Wineland let him find it.

A Crazy Idea: What the UFC Needs to Do Get MMA Sanctioned in New York

UFC

If the 2014 tea leaves are being read correctly, once again the New York State Senate will approve their version of the MMA bill while the Assembly will do nothing and let theirs languish and die - a familiar turn of events that leaves us in the usual position of having tons of amateur shows to go to but nothing of the pro variety.

It doesn't take a keen political analyst to see that proponents of sanctioned MMA in New York have reached an impasse in the legislature, and that it's likely some radical course correction or change in tactic is required. But what should be done exactly? And what is the underlying problem preventing New York from joining every other state in sanctioning mixed martial arts?

Battles Galore at Aggressive Combat Championship 6

NEW YORK

While the UFC was rockin' Cincinnati, O.H., with UFC Fight Night 40, New York was getting its own personal dose of caged fighting in the form of Aggressive Combat Championship 6, and with battles galore stretched out over 13 fights in the gymnasium of York College in Queens, it wasn't a bad night at all.

Your Sunday Dose of Capoeira

AWESOME

Post by Micheal Jai White.