Couture on NY MMA Legislation
November 19, 2008
UFC legend Randy Couture recently spoke with the New York Post on the subject of legalizing MMA in the state of New York. Couture notes the significance of New York in the combat sport canon and his own desire to perform at Madison Square Garden before he calls it a career:
“It’s a historical thing,” he said. “Some of the biggest and best fighters in the history of combative sports and boxing have fought in New York state and Madison Square Garden. I would love to fight there. To say I fought in the same place as Joe Louis or Muhammad Ali would be a dream come true.”
Couture is an excellent ambassador for the sport in situations as this. Couture would serve as an competent back-up man to the efforts of Marc Ratner in fighting for MMA legalization. His response below would be an excellent counter to the likes of Assemblyman Bob Reilly, who often decries the violent nature of the sport:
“It’s an uneducated view that somehow thinks the sport is dangerous or barbaric,” said Couture, who has been in the UFC since 1997. “If you look at our track record, it speaks for itself. We’ve had no deaths in the UFC. I’ve seen a couple of broken bones over the course of a 12-year career, one of which was my arm. Those are things that heal. You see minor cuts and all the things you’re used to seeing in combative sports. You see an occasional knockout. The submission holds are very controlled. They’re a very technical and tactical. They’re not that invasive. Guys tap out, get up and live to fight again another day.”
Later he added, “People just need to get past the initial shock of seeing ground fighting and take a real look at the tactics, the discipline and the sacrifice of these fighters.”
