Friday Night Fights Poster

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New York MMA Bill Could Pass As Early As January

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Last week I laid out a timetable on getting the New York MMA bill passed in 2016, and it presupposed that the issue would get addressed after the budget gets done in April. But it seems it could get done sooner.

"There is no reason why the Legislature can’t pass the bill in January or February," says David Weinraub, a lobbyist for the UFC.

Although more contentious issues get handled after the budget, legislation does get passed early on, and working in the MMA bill's favor is the fact that it had more the necessary Democratic "yes" votes needed to trigger a trip to the floor by the time the end of the 2015 session rolled around.

Obviously, this means nothing in regards to getting a UFC into Madison Square Garden this year, but getting the bill passed in January is a lot better than getting the bill passed in June.

A lot better.

Fighters Source Returns With an International Tournament

AWESOME

The above memo says it all: Fighters Source, the International Fight League of amateur MMA, is returning this summer for a tournament that will cull the best amateur fighters in the US and pit them against a team from Brazil in the spring. Since their last tournament was pretty damn awesome, I expect this one to be a killer.

A Simple Plan to Get the New York MMA Bill Passed in 2016

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Sheldon Silver arrested. Carl Heastie, an MMA supporter in the past, named as the new Assembly Speaker. A revamped MMA bill. More Assembly members on board than ever before. All of these things really made it seem like 2015 was going to be the year that New York State lifted its statutory ban on sanctioned mixed martial arts. But alas, it was not to be, and once more the fight will continue on for another year.

This time things will be different though. Because the one good thing about getting your butt kicked round after round is what it teaches you, and years of getting frozen out of the Democratic conference, killed in committees and suffocated by the process have finally taught us how to win. We just need a plan.

And here it is.

Tracking the Elusive BX Fight Club

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A few months back, the Bronx-based underground boxing promotion was canceled at the last minute when the police showed up. The authorities were looking for guest rapper DMX, who had allegedly robbed someone the night before, but the end result was the same: Like a ninja in the night, BX Fight Club disappeared in a puff of smoke, reappearing only when and where they're least expected.

Seriously, it is pretty much impossible to track where these guys are going to do a show next.

New York Fight Exchange 8 Poster

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The 2015 New York MMA Bill - What Went Wrong, What Went Right

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It's over. Once again, the bill that would have empowered the New York State Athletic Commission to start sanctioning MMA died in the icy tomb known as the State Assembly. This year was supposed to be different, though. Sheldon Silver got the boot as Speaker, and his replacement - Assemblyman Carl Heastie - was someone who'd supported the sport in the past. Plus, we got a revamped version of the bill that touched on and addressed all concerns.

2015 was supposed to be there year.

So what happened? What went wrong? And, more importantly, what went right? Here's a breakdown:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.25.15

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Though it seems very little got done yesterday in terms of legislative movement, the view from within is that today could be the last day of the session. What does that mean for the MMA bill? Here's what we know:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.24.15

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Yesterday the leaders of the Senate and Assembly met with Governor Cuomo to hammer out a compromise on the major issues that were keeping the legislature past their June 17 expiration date. The result: The Big Ugly, which, as of this posting, does not contain the MMA Bill. Okay, now what? Here's what we know:

New York MMA Bill Status Update - 6.23.15

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The legislature reconvenes today after a long weekend off, and the question remains: Since the session was supposed to end last Wednesday and is now in overtime, when will the Assembly get to the MMA bill? Here's what we know:

Aggressive Combat Championship 12 Poster

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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!

NEW YORK

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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