Lawmakers and supporters of mixed martial arts in New York are not giving up with their mission to legalize the extreme combat sport in the state.
ABC News 10 reported that 2016 marks the seventh year in which lawmakers rally at the Capitol hoping to get the good news that MMA would finally be a legal sport in New York.
At this point, supporters feel more confident than the past since Governor Andrew Cuomo has allotted a budget for the sport.
Since professional mixed martial arts fighting has been banned for so many years, lawmakers say that MMA fighters find themselves leaving the state for them to participate in fights.
“They get on a bus, they go to New Jersey or a neighboring state, and the best they can do is get friends and family on a bus and bring them along,” a rep from the Assembly commented.
“And that also means dollars leaving New York heading to another state, and tourism dollars are the best dollars.”
On a related issue, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lost their bid to bring the sport in New York on Monday when federal Judge Kimba Wood ruled against their favor.
According to New York Post, the sport committee recently filed a preliminary injunction against the state which would have allowed a match to be set at Madison Square Garden.
Wood is set to issue a longer statement in the coming weeks.
On the heels of the court’s decision, UFC COO Lawrence Epstein commented that the company was “disappointed” by the ruling.
"We are disappointed by the District Court's denial of our motion for a preliminary injunction and its effort to redirect the litigation to the state courts," Epstein said in a report from MMA Fighting.
Albeit the ruling, Epstein remains “very hopeful” that the state legislature will legalize professional MMA in New York in the foreseeable future.
Professional mixed martial arts has been banned in New York since 1997. Followers of the sport have yet to wait for further announcements if lawmakers decide to make another legal move.
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