Statement From Assemblyman Dean Murray

MMA BILL PASSES COMMITTEE
A statement from Assemblyman Dean Murray (R,C,I-East Patchogue)

“Assembly Bill 2604-C, which would legalize professional mixed martial arts in New York State, passed the Tourism, Parks, and Sports Development committee today by a vote of 15-5 and then passed the Codes Committee by a 16-5 vote. The bill is now on its way to Ways and Means.


“As the ranking Minority member on Tourism, Parks and Sports Development, I’m excited that the new Speaker has finally allowed this bill to move forward. The Senate has now passed this bill for seven straight years. I'm looking forward to having the bill go to the floor and getting past its greatest hurdle, the Assembly, so it can be sent to the Governor to be signed into law.”

What to Expect From Tomorrow's Assembly Proceedings Re: The MMA Bill

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This afternoon the Assembly Speaker's communication director tweeted the following:

Depending on schedule Assembly floor vote on MMA will be Tuesday but could be pushed to Wednesday

— Mike Whyland (@mwhyland) March 21, 2016

Yeah, you read that right. The MMA Bill is passing either tomorrow afternoon or Wednesday. That's huge, as it means the MMA landscape in New York is about to undergo some drastic change - most definitely for the better.

So what exactly is going to happen tomorrow? Here's a breakdown in case you want to follow along.

Observations From My Couch: Cage Fury Fighting Championships 57

PENNSYLVANIA

(March 19, Philadelphia, P.A.) The long-running Northeast promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships returned to Philadelphia, and with it came all the usual top-level and talent and thrills you've come to expect from the CFFC brand. Two flyweight titles were up for grabs - one for females and one for males - while veterans and rising stars alike battled it out on the undercard. Highlights on the night included:

The New York MMA Bill Will Pass Next Week

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The New York State Assembly will take up the MMA Bill as early as Monday, and given that amount of support the bill has in the Democratic Conference and on the floor, passage is practically assured.

That's right, folks. Professional MMA will soon be legalized in the last place in all of North America that's kept it illegal.

Warriors Cup 26 Poster

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Aggressive Combat Championship 15 Poster

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What Will Happen After the New York MMA Bill Passes, Part 2: Amateur MMA

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When the State Attorney General's Office admitted that the law banning professional combative sports didn't apply to amateur fights, the floodgates were cast open, and New York was suddenly filled with would-be Dana Whites organizing bouts in cages. Some shows were relatively safe affairs, with medical personnel present and trained officials and many of the other trappings of an event held in jurisdictions with state sanctioning. Many more shows were not so safe, with every possible corner cut and fighters literally risking their lives for nothing. But the common denominator shared by all was that, under the 1997 Combative Sports Law, the Athletic Commission could regulate none of them.

Thanks to the MMA Bill soon becoming law, that will all change. Drastically.

What Will Happen After the New York MMA Bill Passes, Part 1: The Timing

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History has been most unkind to proponents of sanctioned mixed martial arts in New York, but the future glimpsed within the shifting sands of the hourglass is more positive than ever. So let's talk about what will happen once the MMA Bill passes and the changes it will bring - specifically, the timing of it all.

New York Fight Exchange 10 Poster

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Victory Road Poster

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Flashback: International Fight Night, Brooklyn's Russian MMA Promotion

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New York teeters on the precipice of drastic change, all set to tumble headlong into the chasm of acceptance, and soon what was will nevermore be – all of which is just a fancy way of saying it’s time to take a walk down memory lane.

If you were in Brooklyn in 2001, and you wandered south of the Belt Parkway to the Russian enclave of Brighton Beach, you might have seen the posters. Colorful posters, taped to lamp posts and hanging in the windows of shops whose awnings bore Cyrillic letters. The posters promised violence, promised heroes to cheer for, promised a slice of the kind of thrills offered by the UFC (which was at the time banned from pay-per-view, but would soon make a comeback in a big way).

The posters advertised something called “International Fight Night”.

The Senate Passed Their MMA Bill Yesterday - Why This Time Around It's Special

NEW YORK

The New York State Senate approved their version of the MMA Bill yesterday by a vote of 48 to 14, making it the eighth time in seven years they've done so (last year they did it twice, with the extra thumbs-up coming after the MMA Bill was overhauled and revised). The Republican-run Senate has never been much of a problem for proponents of the sport - the hold-up has traditionally been in the Assembly, which has yet to vote on their version and whose approval is needed to turn both bills into a law. So big deal, right? The Senate just did what it's always done, and there's nothing to be too thrilled about - right? Not quite. Before you dismiss what happened yesterday as something less than noteworthy, consider the timing of the Senate's actions.

An Interview With New York MMA Pioneer Nardu Debrah

NEW YORK

In the early 2000s, Nardu Debrah was fighting in rings set up in Russian restaurants in Brighton Beach, hotel ballrooms in Midtown Manhattan, and nightclubs off the Long Island Expressway. Nowadays, though, he's an elder statesman of the sport, with a black belt under Renzo Gracie and a school out in Brooklyn - a school that's produced none other than ROC champ and UFC newcomer Randy Brown. 

While Brown was fulfilling his contractual obligations of talking to the assembled media at the UFC on FOX 18 open workouts in Hoboken, N.J., Debrah was kind enough to let me stick a camera in his face and grill him. 

Why would I want to skip over the fresh-faced rookie for a chance to rap with the salty veteran? Because Brown's got all the time in the world to make history, but when it comes to the history of MMA in New York, Debrah long ago made himself an important part of it.

UFC Newark Open Workouts: Sage Northcutt Making the Girls Swoon

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UFC Newark Open Workouts: Josh Barnett Attacked by Luchador

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UFC Newark Open Workouts: Rumble Hitting the Pads

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The UFC Lost in Court Today, But What Does It Really Mean?

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The UFC lost in court today, but it's not as bad as you may think.

More Reason to Be Optimistic That MMA Is Getting Legalized Soon

NEW YORK

In case you already weren't feeling optimistic about professional MMA getting legalized in New York this year because of the governor including it in his budget proposal, Josh Rosenblatt over at Fightland has got something more to lift your spirits. According to a source on the inside, an MMA bill being passed is practically a done deal.

Take it away, Josh:

When Promoters Go Rogue...

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Why Governor Cuomo Supporting MMA Is a Big Deal

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Yesterday, Governor Andrew Cuomo unveiled his budget proposal for 2016, and in it he included a provision for sanctioning both professional and amateur MMA in New York.

In case you were unsure, this is a big deal. A very big deal.

To fully grasp why, you need to understand a little history and a little politics.