As most expected, including the UFC, the New York State Assembly failed to vote on a bill to legalize professional Mixed Martial Arts in the state. Despite another year without any movement, the bill’s sponsor intends to continue on next year.
The lead sponsor to the MMA bill set to legalize professional MMA in the state, Senator Joseph Griffo told MMA Payout the following:
I’m disappointed, but not surprised, that my bill to legalize MMA did not come to the Assembly floor for a vote before session ended. We’ve tried to address opponents’ concerns in crafting our legislation. This sport is much more organized and more regulated than when it first became popular. Everyone besides New York has allowed professional matches to be held in their state. The latest economic analysis, done by HR&A advisors, reports that legally sanctioned MMA would generate $67 million in annual spending and create 525 jobs in New York. I thank Assemblyman Joe Morelle for his effort to get a vote for the bill. It’s my hope that Assembly leadership reconsiders their position before the year is over. Regardless, I will carry this bill every year until it passes or I leave office.
Senator Griffo also sponsored the bill that would have allowed regulation of amateur MMA in the state of New York. That bill was not voted on either by the state Assembly prior to the end of this year’s session.
MMA Payout has reached out to Assemblyman Morelle for additional comment but his office has not responded at the time of this writing.
Payout Perspective:
Another year, another missed opportunity for the legalization of professional MMA in the state. Perhaps we may see some movement with this bill next year as the lawsuit filed by Zuffa in the state appears to come down to the filing of Summary Judgment motions. The Court’s decision on these motions may coincide with next year’s legislative session which could facilitate a vote in the state Assembly.
This past Sunday we participated in a discussion on legal issues in MMA including the continued effort to legalize pro MMA in the state. You can find the Sports Law Chat tweetup here.
Hahaha…another year another failure….the worst part is dw hyped it tooooo much all these years that its such a huge huge deal it they get sanctioned in ny.so much so that a lot of ufc followers got dissapointed.that now they really dont care….and if ever in the future that it gets sanctioned theyll realize its not much big of a deal….boxing always has fights in ny hahaha
Don’t listen to me, I am an idiot. Haha.
Culinary Academy got pissed off
Its a shame, NY is one of the most liberal places on earth and the ass clowns at the UFC cant get it done. They went about it the most moronic way you can, like a bull! That kind of John Gotti bullshit doesn’t work in NY. How can you call yourself a business when you cant even do business with the corrupt group of politicians on the planet,. Albany is a cesspool of filth. I guess their vegas style and pinkey ring attitude didn’t go over well with the fat guys. Give it up, you will end up losing money in NYS even the Giants and the Jets know this.
Ha. That John Gotti stuff certainly does work in NY, where the hell do you think he was from moron? Kind of the opposite too, Gotti was involved in organized labor, not a massive business like the UFC.
This is just another example of political lobbying at its ugliest.
hey shit for brains Gotti died in prison doing a life sentence, so my guess is it didn’t work for him. Zuff’s strategy has gotten them soooo far in NY state bahahaha armatures
Its Ok Daaruk , india is a far cry from NYC, im sure you can research and google anything you want to know about NYC but you will never be a New Yorker or understand it.
Hey ass head, NY state DID NOT PROSECUTE AND CONVICT HIM!! You fucking idiot! The feds got him. Also, he was organized labor, the exact opposite of what Zuffa is.
Any more words of wisdom you dumb fuck?
Do you ever get anything right?
I know more about New York, politics, organized crime, common sense, mma, boxing, business in general and pretty much any other relevant topic on here that we can even think of discussing. You are a colossal moron.
You are a total fuck tard growing up Gotti wanabee idiot, youve never been anywhere and never will. You have the intellect of a wart on Victoria Gotti’s ass bahaha
HAHAHAHAHA!!! You basically just acknowledged how much of an idiot you are and you were once again dead fucking wrong. Kind of tough to spin that one seeing how stupid what you said was. I’m not surprised you didn’t attempt to defend your comments.
FYI, I hate John Gotti and organized criminals. They are pieces of shit and Victoria Gotti is a disgusting pig.