MMA now officially legal in New York; UFC slates Nov. 12 event at Madison Square Garden

Lorenzo Fertitta

It took a long, sustained fight, but MMA is now officially legal in the state of New York, and the UFC is already planning its arrival.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today signed the legislation that lifted a ban that was put in place in 1997. With New York, which had been the sport’s last holdout, on board, professional MMA is now legal throughout North America.

The signing took place at Madison Square Garden in New York City (via Twitter):

A host of notables were in attendance. They included a number of current fighters, including ex-champs Ronda Rousey and Chris Weidman, as well as contender Aljamain Sterling, who tweeted a pic of a UFC contingent that included company CEO Lorenzo Fertitta:

Fertitta was one of many notables who spoke to the crowd before the official signing. He confirmed the organization will host a major event on Nov. 12 – the 23-year anniversary of UFC 1 – at iconic Madison Square Garden, though no other details were revealed for the likely pay-per-view show. He also said the organization will visit upstate New York for an event before the end of the year.

Despite their interest in the potentially lucrative market, UFC officials haven’t been able to host an event in New York since UFC 7 took place in Buffalo in 1995.

“It’s been a long, hard process, but the fact is we’re finally here, and we’re happy about that,” Feritta said during today’s event.

He also said other New York cities will host UFC events in the coming years.

“The economics of this sport are undeniable,” said Cuomo, who lauded the financial impact that MMA shows will have in the state.

Today’s signing was a mere formality; the bill cleared its biggest hurdle on March 22, when legislators in the state Senate voted 113-25 in favor of legalization – despite detractors going so far as to link MMA to slavery, gay porn, domestic violence and child abuse.

It was the latest in a long line of often-absurd efforts to halt legalization in MMA’s remaining holdout.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

Filed under: Featured, News, UFC

View full post on News | MMAjunkie