I’ll be covering the event for the Knick Ledger and might try to write a feature piece to shop around. Time constraints may prevent me from following through on that threat.

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5 Guys Fighting Presents the Areas Second Full Contact Mixed Martial Arts [...]]]> Below is the official press release from Five Guys Fighting.

I’ll be covering the event for the Knick Ledger and might try to write a feature piece to shop around. Time constraints may prevent me from following through on that threat.

——————-

5 Guys Fighting Presents the Areas Second Full Contact Mixed Martial Arts Event

Contact: Shannon Miller5 Guys FightingCagewarsny.com 5guysfighting@gmail.com

Press Release

5 Guys Fighting and Cage Wars Ny Present Their Second Full Contact Mixed Martial Arts Event

Weigh ins open to the public and media tonight 10/25 at 6:30pm at Legion training facility located at 1208 route 146 Clifton Park Ny.

5 Guys fighting is proud to announce Cage Wars 14 the Capital Districts second amateur Mixed Martial Arts event.  Amateur athletes from around the northeast are scheduled to compete on Friday October 26th at the Crowne Plaza hotel in Albany. This will be the areas second fully sanctioned full contact fighting contest.  All the fight night action will follow similar rules and procedures as popular professional leagues such as the UFC, PRIDE, and IFL.  This event will be a followup of the highly successful and groundbreaking event held on August 11th of this year in which 5 guys fighting became the first promoter to hold a amateur MMA event in Albany.

Cage Wars 14 will feature contestants skilled in boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, ju-jitsu, and a number of other martial forms.  Contests will be held in a octagon and feature 3, 3 minute rounds. Our current fight card will include 3 Cage Wars championships. Sponsors for this event include Legion Training Center, Extreme Striker, New York Boxing and Atlas Jiu Jitsu.

Formed by Professional Boxer Shannon Miller and partners, 5 Guys Fighting has consistently worked to advance the cause of Mixed Martial Arts in the state of New York.  5 Guys Fighting has currently held 13 competitive martial arts events in venues around the Capital District and Western New York. We have conducted in excess of 140 individual fights and represent over 300 fighters from a number of gyms and schools.  As the areas premiere competitive martial arts promoter we offer an opportunity for fighters to compete locally for fans, friends and family at the highest levels with the largest crowds.

Doors open for the show at 7pm with fights starting at 8pm.

Please E-mail requests for additional information on rules, sanctioning, press conference, and access to the fighters to 5guysfighting@gmail.com

It’s the pre-show for the 2nd Annual Jimmy Pigfeet Challenge! The man(-pig) himself joins us to discuss and preview the Challenge, discuss what went down last year, and what to expect this year. We also briefly touch on Gamejak Dan’s forthcoming stand-up comedy debut which follows the event.

Plus: The origin story [...]]]> (from MANvilleShow.com)

It’s the pre-show for the 2nd Annual Jimmy Pigfeet Challenge! The man(-pig) himself joins us to discuss and preview the Challenge, discuss what went down last year, and what to expect this year. We also briefly touch on Gamejak Dan’s forthcoming stand-up comedy debut which follows the event.

Plus: The origin story of Jimmy Pigfeet, The News, Harlow hates Kevin Marshall this week for some weird reason, and then he and Johnny Hustle get hyped for UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans while everyone else gets real, real quiet.

In all seriousness, if this week’s show is any indication, this coming Saturday is going to be a blast. Come join us! We’ll be broadcasting a LIVE Manville during the challenge, followed by stand-up comedy.

DIRECT DOWNLOAD (Right Click, Save As…)

MANville is sponsored by Stitcher Radio , Albany Modern Body Art, and Amazon.com, and welcome to our new sponsor Pre-Drift Longboards!

==========

THIS SATURDAY!

RULES FOR THE JIMMY PIGFEET CHALLENGE:

1. Contestants eat one “Necrowingican,” a wing that measures over 7 million on the scoville scale. To give you an idea, the hottest pepper available out there is a little over 1 million on the scoville scale. Yep.
2. Then, jump rope for three consecutive minutes. You don’t have to start over if you trip up, but you must be making effort to start back up again immediately.
3. Perform 100 push-ups.

All must be done within 15 minutes. Winners receive a trophy, certificate of Manliness, Manville t-shirt, and other prizes TBA. To be eligible, please show up sometime before 5:30pm.

This will be followed by…

Stand-up comedy hosted by Johnny Hustle featuring the debut of Gamejak Dan. Starring William Hughes and Kevin Marshall.

The local fighters went 1-2 on the night. Rodriguez lost a decision to tough 155-pounder Brian Jackson, [...]]]>

New XFE Lightweight Champion and Amsterdam native Tom Marcellino (from his Facebook page)

A quick follow-up to the info I received last week regarding local fighters and former High School classmates Tom Marcellino, Manny Millan, and Mervin Rodriguez competing on the same MMA card for the XFE promotion in Atlantic City.

The local fighters went 1-2 on the night. Rodriguez lost a decision to tough 155-pounder Brian Jackson, while Millan put up a valiant effort but ultimately succumbed to the always dangerous Brian Kelleher.

Marcellino, on the other hand, was not only victorious but walked out with the promotion’s lightweight championship.

On behalf of myself and my readers, who are supporters of MMA and long to see local fighters get the chance to show their skills in their home state (one of only a handful that still does not regulate the sport), I congratulate Tom, Manny, and Mervin on a job well done. Even though only one of you walked out with a title that evening, you all entered the cage as you left it: as sportsmen and warriors.

For full fight card results, visit XFE’s website.

IN OTHER LOCAL COMBAT SPORTS NEWS: Local boxer Mike Faragon (24-5, 14 KO) will take on Ira Terry LIVE on ESPN in the opening bout of Friday Night Fights starting at 9:30pm. Mike Rivest has more info on his Boxing in the Capital Region blog.

Lightweights Manny Milan, Mervin Rodriguez, and Tom Marcellino are competing this Friday night, July 29th, at XFE Cage Wars 8 at Showboat in Atlantic City.

For more info, check out XFE’s website.

The full text of the bill – S1707A-2011 – is here. At a cursory glance, it doesn’t appear to be much different from previous incarnations, with all the same wording and proposals put forth, including [...]]]> The New York State Senate will, today, consider a bill to sanction Mixed Martial Arts in New York State.

The full text of the bill – S1707A-2011 – is here. At a cursory glance, it doesn’t appear to be much different from previous incarnations, with all the same wording and proposals put forth, including the 8.5% tax on the gate for all events in New York State (boxing in contrast is taxed 3% on the gate).

The blog NY MMA Now is bound to have more info on this.

Bills to legalize MMA have previously passed through the Senate but been defeated once it reaches the Assembly.

UPDATE 4:20pm – The bill has passed the Senate 42-18.

 UPDATE Friday 5/13/2011 10:11am – Since publishing yesterday, poster “Colonie” and a handful of other mutual friends/acquaintances have [...]]]>

Bob Reilly, anti-MMA advocate, whose positions are sold to the highest bidder

Disclaimer: The original title I wrote was “Bob Reilly sells MMA Vote to the Highest Bidder,” which was misleading and unnecessarily inflammatory. After some careful consideration and discussions with others in the comments section, it’s been changed.

 UPDATE Friday 5/13/2011 10:11am – Since publishing yesterday, poster “Colonie” and a handful of other mutual friends/acquaintances have reached out to me and assured that Reilly’s position is not based on any assurances or contact with Unite Here or the AFL-CIO.

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State Assemblyman and professional disabled persons impressionist Bob Reilly’s blockage and opposition to regulated Mixed Martial Arts in New York State is getting more nonsensical as the real reasons behind it become clearer.

Reilly recently spoke with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com (a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner) regarding the new pre-fight insurance policy instituted by Zuffa, parent company of the UFC and the recently acquired San Jose-based Strikeforce promotion.

The new insurance policy would provide coverage for fighters that get injured while training for a fight. Zuffa, who had shopped for a company willing to provide coverage for over a year and a half, already covered fighters who were injured during the course of a fight itself.

Reilly found the timing of the policy suspect, and was critical even while praising the company for its efforts. From the article:

“I think what MMA should be doing is, instead of providing insurance for injuries, is to do away with injuries.”

When I explained to Reilly that the UFC fighters were already covered for injuries suffered in fights and the new insurance would cover injuries, suffered in or outside of the gym, while training or not for an upcoming fight, Reilly added:

“It’s certainly not a bad thing that they provide this insurance, but it really does little or nothing to solve the problem of what will happen to fighters financially, of the physical damage done to fighters or the fact that this violent sport begets violence in our society. So it does nothing to address the systemic problems of MMA.

“I think it’s a positive thing, but I don’t think it’s a positive step. In the sense that it doesn’t address the systemic problems of MMA. But it’s certainly not a negative thing.”

Reilly’s opposition is pathological, which is nothing new. The only consistency in his arguments have been his method: he’ll cite a reason for not legalizing it, then when his claims are refuted by facts, he backtracks and makes up  completely new reasons. It’s maddening, but hey, that’s politics, right?

Except Reilly’s nonsensical blathering and stubborn opposition works to the detriment of New York State. MMA could bring in revenue for the State, with advocates conceding a proposed and unprecedented 8.5% tax on the gate of MMA events (boxing promotions only have to pay 3%). New York is one of only two in the entire country that hasn’t legalized MMA and is the only one with an Athletic Commission. In addition to revenue lost from major shows occurring in nearby New Jersey, estimates are that at least 70 smaller, regional shows a year (overseen by Athletic Commission regulations) would occur if the sport were legalized.

If it seems like MMA opponents like Reilly have an ulterior motive, it’s because they do.

Various sources have confirmed that the source of the blockage is a dispute between UNITE HERE, which is the parent organization a local culinary union in Las Vegas, and Zuffa owners the Fertitta brothers. The Fertittas also own Station Casinos, which are the only casinos in Las Vegas that do not have a contract with Culinary Union Local 226. Helwani, who interviewed Reilly, earlier this week uncovered a memo from UNITE HERE member the New York Hotel Trades Council outlining their opposition to MMA.

In short: MMA is being blocked because of an out-of-state labor dispute.

As for Bob Reilly? UNITE HERE has been a consistent contributor to his campaigns, the State Democratic Election Committee, the Democratic State Assembly Committee, Working Families, Inc., and in 2006 were Reilly’s second largest individual contributor.

So New York State, which more than ever needs new forms of revenue, is having a major one – almost a no-brainer – blocked because of politicians like Reilly, who sell their votes to the highest bidder. Out-of-state interests trump our State’s financial situation, if the price is right.

UPDATE 8:40pm – from the comments section:

Stephen Koepfer: Kevin, assuming this is all MMA directed lobby cash by Unite Here is a big stretch, but, let’s assume it is. What have they done done since 2008. It is 2011. Where is your evidence that they are still any kind of significant barrier in NY?

Stephen & others: this is the problem with giving me a blog and having me write blog posts during my breaks at work. Sometimes I can get carried away with my word usage, and it can be – albeit unintentionally – misread and misleading. That’s my bad, and on issues such as this I should definitely exercise more caution.

I want to make it clear though: I’m not saying it’s cash that’s given to a campaign and said “hey, here’s X thousands of dollars, don’t vote for MMA.” I am saying that Unite Here specifically has a vested interest in keeping this from the vote, and they have a champion in Bob Reilly, for whom they are a major contributor. No single organization throws that much money at a candidate for a single issue, but when they do have so much invested and such a significant portion in a candidate, they do have sway on issues that concern them.

My point isn’t that UNITE HERE paid Bob Reilly specifically to say no to MMA, but that UNITE HERE has a lot of pull with Reilly due to their significant contributions, and as such may have had a significant influence on his position.

But that’s a good question. Where HAVE they been since 2008? I wondered myself and did some digging.

In 2005 UNITE HERE created a big shake-up when they split from the AFL-CIO and joined the Change to Win Federation. After many years of doing a lot of their own lobbying and money-spending, they mended fences and re-affiliated themselves with the AFL-CIO in September 2009. Whereas in 2008 UNITE HERE in its various forms (Unite Here Tip State & Local Fund, Unite Here Tip Campaign Committee, Unite Here State & Local Fund among others) spent over $4 million on New York State campaigns, in 2010 their contributions dipped significantly: a little over $1.6 million. A lot of that money that used to come from UNITE HERE was now coming through the AFL-CIO.

Reilly was involved in a tight race in the Fall of 2010, where he was re-elected to his fourth term by a mere 542 votes. In October and November, with Reilly losing ground, the State Democratic Committee increased its fundraising efforts and the money flowed in with renewed vigor for that and other races. In those two months, the New York State AFL-CIO Cope Fund contributed a total of $31,000 to The New York State Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee. Guess how much the New York State Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee donated to Friends of Bob Reilly in those two months?

$30,000. No guff.

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Related articles

Unfortunately, the event paled in comparison [...]]]>

Jon Jones: new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, seen here with the weight of the world on his shoulders. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

UFC 128 was last night, and the theme of the event – from Dana White’s statements throughout the week right down  to Jon Jones‘s entrance music – was “boy, what a shame this is in Newark instead of Madison Square Garden.”

Unfortunately, the event paled in comparison to recent cards and even the forthcoming free Ultimate Fight Night card on Spike next week both on paper and in terms of entertainment value. Nothing was particularly bad, mind you, but nothing was particularly memorable either.

Save, of course, for the fulfillment of the Jon Jones prophecy.

Jones dominated defending champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua the entire fight, including what could generously be described as two 10-8 rounds followed by a merciful stoppage in the third. Rua came into the cage already looking tired and old, carrying with him the war-weary look that belies the fact that he’s still only 29-years-old himself.  A soft mid-section and early exhaustion indicated that conditioning has once again become an issue for Rua, making a Jones victory an inevitability.

This is not to take anything away from the new champion. At 23-years-old and with only three years of fight experience, Jon Jones has ascended the Light Heavyweight ranks in dominant and impressive fashion.

However, to coin a phrase, “I was not eempressed with his performahnce.”

This will surely put me in opposition with most MMA fans, but I could hardly qualify Jones’s win as a sign that we finally have a dominant Light Heavyweight champion. Rua went into this fight looking even worse than he did against Forrest Griffin, and Jones himself has some conditioning issues that nobody else wants to acknowledge. Did anybody else see him in the last minute of the first round, pawing at Rua with an arm he was barely able to lift up, huffing and puffing in the face of a fighter who was out on his feet and practically begging to be struck with a halfway decent tap to the chin that would have finished the fight?

Granted, these issues can and will be addressed by Greg Jackson and his camp. Jackson is no fool: he, unlike many fans, knows that Jones is going to have a lot more trouble against Rashad Evans than he did against Mauricio Rua. Evans has a better wrestling pedigree and isn’t likely to be wrestled into exhaustion like Rua was. He’ll come in motivated and with knowledge of Jones’s fight game due to training with him at Team Jackson. If Jones can get past Evans and do so in easy fashion, then I’ll buy that we finally have a Light Heavyweight champion who can defend his title successfully.

Until then, I’m just going to keep watching the hype train from a distance as the distant echo of a cry from years past echoes in my brain: “the Machida era has begun!”

OTHER NOTABLE ITEMS: After his devastating loss to Brendan Schaub, Dana White announced at the post-fight press conference that Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was done with the UFC. It would be more accurate, though, to say the UFC is done with Cro Cop. … Urijah Faber didn’t put in the dominant performance against Eddie Wineland that so many expected, but that’s due to the fans’ lack of familiarity with Wineland. I was impressed, though, with how Faber didn’t panic in the first round and turned a negative into a positive, using his losing round to figure Wineland out and adapt his game plan accordingly. A bout with Cruz is next, and rumor has it they could be the coaches for the 14th season of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. … After his win, Nate Marquardt told reporters he’s mulling a move down to Welterweight. I did observe that he looked smaller last night than he has in a long time, but a cut to 170 still seems like madness and isn’t something I would advise. … Jim Miller is now on a seven fight win streak, but his C.V. is less than impressive. It’ll be interesting to see what he does against the upper echelon in the division.

Full results:

• LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT:
  Jon Jones def. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua – R3 2:37 via TKO (strikes)
• BANTAMWEIGHT (135 lbs.):
  Urijah Faber def. Eddie Wineland via Unanimous Decision
• LIGHTWEIGHT (155 lbs.):
  Jim Miller def. Kamal Shalorus – R3 2:15 via TKO (punches)
• MIDDLEWEIGHT (185 lbs.):
  Nate Marquardt def. Dan Miller via Unanimous Decision
• HEAVYWEIGHT (265 lbs.):
  Brendan Schaub def. Mirko Cro Cop – R3 3:44 via KO (punch)

Prelims

• LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT (205 lbs.):
  Eliot Marshall def. Luiz Cane - R1 2:15 via TKO (punches)
• LIGHTWEIGHT (155 lbs.):
  Edson Barboza def. Anthony Njokuani via Unanimous Decision
• WELTERWEIGHT (170 lbs.)
  Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Almeida via Unanimous Decision
• LIGHTWEIGHT (155 lbs.):
  Gleison Tibau def. Kurt Pellegrino via Split Decision
• BANTAMWEIGHT (135 lbs.):
  Joseph Benavidez def. Ian Loveland via Unanimous Decision
• CATCHWEIGHT (195 lbs.):
  Nick Catone def. Constantinos Philippou via Unanimous Decision
• FEATHERWEIGHT (145 lbs):
  Eric Koch def. Raphael Assuncao – R1 2:32 via KO (punch)

From staff reporter Rick Karlin:

The UFC is perhaps the largest franchise for mixed martial arts — a sport that was banned in New York under the Pataki administration, which criticized its violence.

Since, then, however, more regulations and safety precautions have been [...]]]>

BJJ legend Renzo Gracie (sitting up) puts on an exhibition with UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar (on the ground) at the Washington Ave. Armory on Tuesday. Both were in town for the Senate Committee's vote on a bill to legalize MMA in New York State.

Disclaimer: yours truly is a fan of MMA and occasional contributor to UFC.com.

From staff reporter Rick Karlin:

The UFC is perhaps the largest franchise for mixed martial arts — a sport that was banned in New York under the Pataki administration, which criticized its violence.

Since, then, however, more regulations and safety precautions have been added, White said. And the sport, which can be seen on cable TV and pay-per-view has continued to grow.

Mostly though, supporters spoke of the revenue it would bring in not only to sports venues in cities from New York to Buffalo but to surrounding restaurants and hotels.

“Our New York fans are sick of traveling to Newark or Canada for sold-out shows when they could be watching their hometown favorites right here at home,” White said.

David Weinraub, one of several lobbyists working for MMA promoters, said legalizing mixed martial arts in the state could generate $50 million in economic activity, including $5 million in tax revenues. He said promoters would agree to an 8 percent “gate tax” on event tickets, a full 5 points more than boxing events currently charge.

Read more here

I found out about the existence of this article by someone at the TU linking me to it directly. I poked around for the site for several minutes while on my first break earlier today and could not find mention of it anywhere.

I’m on my second and still can’t find it, which is a shame. It’s an issue that warrants coverage, particularly in the Sports section, although this instead fell under the jurisdiction of the TU’s political coverage. Edit 11:11am – after me making a stink all morning through Twitter, Facebook and everywhere in-between, it’s finally on the home page.

The Albany Times Union, like so many other print outlets, are looking for ways to engage and acquire new readership. They’re willing to do it through various means, such as multi-media presentations and SEEN photos of everything from Northern Lights concerts to pre and post-riot drinking & debauchery on Hudson Street. But apparently not through MMA coverage.

Which is and isn’t surprising. It is surprising because any visit to Buffalo Wild Wings, Jillian’s, or any other place that becomes packed for even the lowest rung of pay-per-view shows would tell you that there’s a market for it. On the other hand, it’s not surprising given that despite its growth in popularity in the mainstream and dramatic rules changes since the New Jersey Athletic Commission drafted the universally adopted Unified Rules of MMA in 1997, the sport still has a very negative stigma attached to it, particularly by those at the editorial level whose feet don’t hit the pavement very often.

It’s just frustrating to see when an outlet like the Times Union makes the right moves (for example finally terminating the leases on bureaus whose necessity was effectively nullified by the existence of cellphones and laptops over a decade ago) in some areas and move so slowly in others.

If the Albany Times Union was smart, they’d have someone covering MMA as a beat, and they would have made mention of Dana White’s visit (along with UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and Matt Hamill) on the site’s front page.

Instead, I have to rely on a desperate game of phone tag and shouts on Facebook to get one of its staffers to let me know if there’s going to be coverage for the visit of a household name and huge media figure (not to mention biggest sports figure since the Giants left town), let alone where that coverage is.

It’s 2011. New York, time to join the over forty states with Athletic Commissions in legalizing MMA. And Times Union, it’s time to start covering that sport that has more fans than you have readers.

White is joined by MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneer UFC President Dana White is in Albany today to meet with legislators and promote the sport in an attempt to get it legalized in New York State.

White is joined by MMA and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu pioneer Renzo Gracie, UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, and Utica resident and UFC middleweight contender Matt Hamill (who despite being deaf from birth has been a contender in two different weight classes).

At 3:00pm, all will be present at the Albany Armory to address the media and present a technique clinic for area students and others.

This marks the first time to my knowledge that the UFC has been a presence in the area. In recent years the sport has gone from niche interest to explode into the mainstream, generating millions in pay-per-view buys and becoming one of the top sports in the country.

MMA’s primary opposition in New York State is longtime New York State legislator Bob Reilly, who has used his position on the State Tourism & Gaming Committee to block MMA at all passes. His confounding statements against the sport have continued despite facts to the contrary, and who also thinks boxing itself has gotten too violent.

Unfortunately, since I work a 9 to 5 and also receive money as an occasional contributor to UFC.com, I can’t be present to provide coverage as media. I urged the Times Union yesterday to send a representative to cover the event, but have yet to hear back as to whether or not that’s going to happen. The impression I was given is that it didn’t seem likely, which is a real shame since it’s rare a sports figure as prominent as White visits the area, especially on the heels of UFC’s acquisition of Strikeforce this past weekend, which further tightened the vice clamp the UFC has on MMA in North America. Hopefully they’ve reconsidered.

The Press Release provided by the UFC is after the cut.

Ultimate Fighting Championship® Comes to Albany to Urge New York State to Regulate Mixed Martial Arts
 

UFC President Dana White, UFC Owner/CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, current Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, UFC athlete Matt Hamill, UFC Athlete & Gym Owner Renzo Gracie to Meet with Legislators Tuesday to Highlight Evolution of Sport, Millions in Economic Impact Across NY
 
*UFC Fighter and Reps to Host Community Expo with Albany Teens at Armory 3:00pm*
 
Ultimate Fighting Championship® President Dana White, UFC Owner & CEO Lorenzo Fertitta, local UFC Athlete and gym owner Renzo Gracie, current UFC Lightweight champion Frankie Edgar Jr, UFC athlete and Utica native Matt Hamill, and local NYU fight Doctor Todd Schlifstein will meet with Albany legislators Tuesday, March 15th to urge the regulation of mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York and highlight the millions annually in revenue the sport would bring to New York.
Renzo Gracie, Frankie Edgar, Matt Hamill and Dana White will then address the media and hold an MMA community expo for teens from Albany’s Journeyman Wrestling School at the Washington Avenue Armory. Albany area youths from the local Boys & Girls Clubs, YMCA, Arbor Hill Community Center and Boy Scouts will attend. 
Forty-five other states currently regulate the sport, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. 
 
WHO:                            Dana White, UFC President
                                Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC Owner & CEO
Renzo Gracie, UFC athlete and owner of New York’s Gracie Academy
Frankie Edgar, UFC Lightweight champion
Matt Hamill, UFC athlete, Utica, NY native
Dr. Todd Schlifstein, NYU/fight doctor
 
WHEN:                  Tuesday, March 15
Legislator Meetings to urge regulation of MMA in NY 9:00am-2:00pm
(Media Availability between meetings)
Capitol Building
 
MMA community expo/autograph signings with Albany teens 3-4:00pm
(Media presentation, photo opportunities)
Washington Avenue Armory
195 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY                               
WHY:                     As the State Legislature considers a bill to regulate the sport of mixed martial arts in New York, officials from the Ultimate Fighting Championship® and local New York supporters are visiting Albany to educate legislators about the sport’s tremendous growth, impeccable safety record and to discuss the economic development that their events would bring to communities around the state.
 
Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport in the world, and UFC® is the most widely recognized of the MMA organizations. Its surging popularity has made it a coveted attraction for local officials and arena owners around the globe, and it is currently regulated in 44 of the 48 states that have athletic commissions. A study commissioned by UFC® showed that regulation in New York would generate roughly $23 million in economic activity across the state.
 
UFC 128 on March 19th in Newark, NJ is expected to draw tens of thousands of fans to the Prudential Center and generate a gate number in the millions. UFC 129 on April 30th in Toronto has set a record with 55,000 seats sold and an $11 million gate.
 
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