New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.20.15

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The MMA bill wasn't addressed yesterday, but the extension of the 2015 legislative session means that it's going to happen on Tuesday, which is when the Assembly will (presumably) put the finishing touches on all the pressing issues on their agenda. Here's what we know in regards to the bill that would sanction pro MMA in New York:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.19.15

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It's Friday and the session was scheduled to end on Wednesday, but legislators are still at it (for the most part), trying to deal with the hefty selection of bills that remain on their plate. Here's what we know about the status of the MMA bill and the issues around it:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.18.15

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Although yesterday was the last scheduled day of the 2015 legislative session and it came and went with seemingly no movement on the MMA bill, the outlook is still pretty positive up in Albany. After all, since there are some very important issues left to hash out, the Senate and Assembly are still at it, and could keep working even into Friday. What does this mean for the future of our sport in New York? And what are the specifics on how the bill might pass? Here's what we know:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.17.15

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The end is nigh for the 2015 legislative session, and so too looms the end of the long, hard-fought battle to get the 1997 ban on professional MMA lifted in New York. Where do we stand? How likely is it that we'll get to see a UFC at Madison Square Garden this year? Here's an update:

A Breakdown of the (Hopefully) Final Version of the New York MMA Bill

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Last week Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle reworked the MMA bill to make it more appealing to some of the holdouts. It was expected that the Senate would do the same to their version, and they did, with both legislative houses ironing out one unified piece of legislation last night. It is primarily the same bill as what was unveiled last week, but it contains the following minor tweaks:

Here's the Final List of Assembly Targets - Fire Away!

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The legislative session ends on Wednesday, and thanks to a revamped MMA bill and previously unheard of levels of support, we are now closer than ever before to the reality of sanctioned pro MMA in New York State. We just need to convince four of the following Assemblymen to vote for Bill A02604.

That's it. Four.

Call them, email them, show up at their homes with a fruit basket (actually, they won't be home, they'll be in Albany, but you get the point). Do whatever it takes to express to them that as New Yorkers we want MMA here and regulated and safe. It doesn't matter if you've already reached out to them. Hit them up again. They need to know that this is what the people want. You can even send them a link to this piece I wrote for BloodyElbow yesterday.

An Interview With MMAPayout

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Jason Cruz over at MMAPayout had me on for an interview to discuss what Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle's new MMA bill might look like - and lo and behold, as soon as the interview was done the bill was posted online. Regardless, if you want some additional color on the situation in New York, give it listen.

Take It To The Top 7 Poster

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MMA Platinum Gloves 10 Poster

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Check Out This New York Fight Exchange Coverage

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The New York Fight Exchange had their seventh installment on Saturday night, and though I missed the event, there is some coverage of it to be had courtesy of Combat Sports Nation. Some things worth noting about NYFE 7:

The MMA Bill Has Been Revamped - Here's What's New

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Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle said there would be changes coming to the MMA bill, and he wasn't kidding. A new, revamped version of A02604 was unveiled today, and it is an expansive piece of legislation pretty much unrecognizable from previous versions. Will these changes be enough to sway some of the undecideds within the Assembly before the end of the session on June 17? Possibly, and with the Senate expected to adopt these changes to their version of the bill, we will likely soon see a radically different combative sports landscape in New York.

Here are the more salient points of the new bill:

The New York MMA Bill Might Be Undergoing Some Dramatic Changes

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There are seven working days left in the 2015 legislative session and the MMA bill still needs six more votes to pass, and with the sands in the hourglass running out, Majority Leader Joe Morelle - the man in charge of getting it done - might be adding some provisions to the bill to win over some of the undecideds. What's he going to add and how will it affect things when the bill is signed into law? Well, no text of the changes to the bill (designated A02604) is available yet, but this is what we know:

New York Fight Exchange 7 Fight Card

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The Session is Almost Over - Why Hasn't the MMA Bill Passed Yet?

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The 2015 legislative session ends on June 17, which means there are only nine work days left for the Assembly to pass the MMA bill. Yes, there's still time to get it done, but it was't supposed to be this hard. After all, Sheldon Silver's arrest and subsequent abdication of the Speaker throne - and his replacement by MMA supporter Carl Heastie - should have cleared all Culinary Union obstacles and paved the way for the bill's easy passage. That hasn't happened, though. Why not?

Grapplers Seize the Day at Aggressive Combat Championships 11

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Sometimes drive and determination are the difference between winning and losing in a fight. Sometimes its the skills brought into the cage. At Aggressive Combat Championships 11, which broke ground at the Queens Theater in Flushing Meadows Park on Saturday night, those who came out on top possessed just the right mix of drive, determination and skills - and in the case of lightweight and flyweight studs James Gonzalez and Pedro Villa, that meant going home with shiny new belts.

A Wacky Anti-MMA Editorial and a Response

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It's crunch time for the legislative session and the prospects of getting the MMA bill passed, so all the anti-UFC lobbyists are coming out of the woodwork to earn their paychecks. The latest: an editorial in today's Albany Times-Union, which is an influential paper that serves the Capitol region.

The gist of the piece is that the sport is too violent and not worth the money it would bring in, but there are some glaring errors in the logic. Consider this excerpt:

Neal Kwatra: The Face of the Culinary Union's Anti-UFC Battle

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(Neal Kwatra, left, represents the Culinary Union's anti-UFC interests in New York.)

This morning the Albany Times-Union posted an update on where things stand with getting the MMA bill passed in the Assembly. The focus of the story was the UFC's strategy of robo-calling constituents in the dozen districts still in play, and the reporter included this passage:

The FightNerd Is Doing a Film on Female Muay Thai Fighters - You Should Help

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The Fight Nerd has long been a fixture in the New York fight scene, and his current project revolves around a documentary about female Muay Thai fighters. The clip above is the teaser trailer, the IndieGoGo pitch is here. Read it and consider helping. Sometimes the best part of a fight is the story behind it, and the Fight Nerd tells a good story.

Extreme Cage Fighting 6 Poster

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Senator Krueger is Talking Money When She Should Be Talking Safety

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Senator Liz Krueger is against the Ultimate Fight Championship coming to New York, and to combat the argument that sanctioned mixed martial arts would bolster the state's economy, she says that maybe the biggest MMA organization in the world isn't as financially sound as it claims to be.

Senator Krueger is talking money when she should be talking safety.