Legislation doesn’t make it to vote status
Mixed martial arts in the state of New York once again will have to wait.
New York, one of the last remaining states with an athletic commission to not sanction MMA, won’t pass it this year, either. According to the New York Daily News, the “Legalize N.Y. MMA” bill didn’t even get brought up for a vote on the assembly floor.
According to the Daily News, Bill No. S.1707-A was shut down “behind closed doors” by State Speaker Sheldon Silver, who determined there were not enough votes in a private conference to send it to the floor for a full vote. Marc Ratner, the UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs, expressed disappointment to the paper.
“I feel 150 percent if we had a vote on the floor of the Assembly we would win,” Ratner said. “Not to get a vote is un-American.”
According to the paper, Speaker Silver asked for a show of hands of those who didn’t support the bill, and roughly 25 members raised their hands. He said the count looked even with those who were in support of it – though a source told the Daily News there were around 60 votes in favor of moving the bill forward, compared to 25 against it. But Speaker Silver said he had heard from others privately who were opposed to it, leading him to determine the votes weren’t there.
Legislation in New York made it through the state senate this year, but just like in past years ultimate stalled and fell short.
The UFC still does plenty of promotion in New York, especially for shows it holds across the river in New Jersey. In fact, UFC on Fox: Diaz vs. Miller took place in East Rutherford, N.J., just this past Saturday. And the buildup to the fight card largely took place in Manhattan.
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