MMA legal in which states now?

[GeneChing]

I find the amateur vs. pro MMA legalization equally fascinating.

Amatuer MMA to be Fully Sanctioned in Florida in 2009
Submitted by Willroast on December 21, 2008 - 10:48am.
Care Sharon Robb | South Florida Sun-Sentinel
December 16, 2008

PLANTATION - Steve Bruno got his feet wet in unlicensed mixed martial arts fights known as "smokers" notorious for no-holds-barred mismatches and a lack of adequate on-site medical care. The American Top Team Coconut Creek rising star is one of many professional mixed martial arts fighters who came up the hard way.

That's all about to change thanks to a law spearheaded by Tom Molloy, executive director of the Florida Athletic Commission, and Cory Schafer, president of the International Sport Kickboxing Association. With the safety and development of the fighters in mind, mixed martial arts will be a fully sanctioned amateur sport in the state beginning in January. "

"This is absolutely groundbreaking," said John Morrison, Florida State Director for ISKA, the sole sanctioning organization designated to regulate amateur events. Morrison and other top officials, including UFC official Troy Waugh of Coral Springs, held the first of many judging and officials certification seminars Sunday in Plantation to train judges, timekeepers, scorekeepers and locker-room inspectors and help create a surplus for various amateur shows around the state.

The four-hour seminar attracted a wide range of attendees, about 60 from Florida and Georgia, including pro fighter Din Thomas, of ATT Port St. Lucie; boxing trainer and Hall of Famer Bonnie Canino; boxer and trainer Yvonne Reis; Orlando-based agent Remington Reed; and Left Hook promoters Heather Cooperman and Laura Devlin.

"There are very few states that are actually doing this program," Morrison said. "This is the start of it, we have never had this before. The popularity of it has just been incredible."

Pending on the state finalizing last-minute details, the first sanctioned show to feature both stand-up and ground game will probably be the Jan. 24 Warriors Collide 7 at War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale.

Florida joins California, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio and Pennsylvania with sanctioned amateur programs governed by a revised edition of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts. The amateur regulations were passed by the Association of Boxing Commissioners with the help of mixed martial arts referee "Big" John McCarthy at its annual convention in Montreal earlier this year.

It was an instrumental step for the sport to move forward, Molloy said.

Two years in the making, Molloy led the effort to add the amendment to the Pugilist law that Gov. Charlie Crist signed off on recently. It opened the door for amateur shows such as Fort Lauderdale-based Left Hook Productions Warriors Collide series to add the ground game to its striking shows.
No longer will aspiring mixed martial arts fighters have to compete in unsafe, unregulated back-room smokers or underground fights.

"The emphasis is that the first five minutes, fans at a show need to see the difference between amateurs and pros," Morrison said.
"When it comes down to it, it's like a kickboxing and grappling match," Waugh said.

Mixed martial arts fighters use a hybrid of techniques from Brazilian jiu-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, Muy Thai to other forms.
The rapidly growing sport continues to fill arenas and attract large numbers of television viewers, particularly among the male demographic between the ages of 18-49.

The addition of amateur cards will only help increase the talent pool and provide a farm system for several pro leagues including The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), granddaddy of them all.

[GeneChing]

Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas any more

Hutchinson City Council To Vote Again On Mixed Martial Arts
Posted: Jan 6, 2009 10:29 AM
Updated: Jan 6, 2009 10:29 AM
By Megahn Snyder (HUTCHINSON, Kan.)

Hutchinson City Council members will let their votes duke it out over whether to allow mixed martial arts fights.

City leaders plan to vote on two proposals at their January 20 meeting. In the first round council members would have to decide whether to allow the fights. City Attorney Carolyn Patterson says under state law, sporting events like mixed martial arts are banned unless a city or county passes an ordinance to allow them.

During the second round, the city council will look over a proposal to require fight promoters to apply for licenses. The police chief would then decide if there's enough security to go forward with the event.

A month ago the council voted down a proposal to allow mixed martial arts in Hutchinson, but members could change their minds in two weeks.

They discussed the issue with people from several sides of the issue at a study session Tuesday. Patterson says three promoters spoke in support of the idea. The police chief told council members he'd be comfortable with the fights as long as he has a chance to review security measures. The manager of Memorial Hall, a city-owned venue that's equipped for mixed martial arts fights, told leaders she doesn't like the idea but would follow the council's decision.

[GeneChing]

I should rephrase the topic. It's not just about legality of MMA. It's about legality of Pro MMA & Amatuer MMA.

Mixed martial arts: Utah considers creating amateur status
By Scott Sherman
The Salt Lake Tribune
Updated: 01/08/2009 08:10:19 AM MST

The athletic commission in Utah is considering a rule change to create an amateur mixed martial arts license.

Currently, all fights and fighters in the state are licensed in the professional category, a status many promoters and fighters have taken issue with because fighters aren't able to gain experience beforehand.

Public comment is being sought to help shape the amateur license requirements. The public comment period lasts through Feb. 2.

"So far, I haven't heard anyone saying anything negative about it," said Bill Colbert, secretary of the Pete Suazo Utah Athletic Commission, which regulates mixed martial arts in the state.

Colbert said amateur fights likely will be limited to three-minute rounds instead of the customary five-minute rounds. Combatants also probably won't be allowed to stand and strike a downed opponent. Contestants still must be at least 18 years old.

Fighters who have earned significant pay from their contests or those who already have fought a professional fighter would not be allowed to claim amateur status. That would mean anyone who has previously fought in Utah will have a difficult time changing their status from professional to amateur.

Another issue Colbert said needs to be addressed is whether fighters' ticket sales will constitute payment for the fight and thus make them a professional. The practice is common with the Ultimate Combat Experience, where fighters get a percentage of profits from tickets they sell.

The rule could be enacted in March or April, Colbert said.

[CFT]

How the ban in NYC is forcing competitors to fight elsewhere. lkfmdc's friend Carmine Zocchi is quoted in the article.

Banned Sport Gains Fans, and Seeks More in Albany

By PETER DUFFY
New York Times
Published: January 20, 2009


When Lou Neglia first opened his Brooklyn martial arts academy in 1974, students wanted to learn kung fu, inspired by the television show starring David Carradine. Then karate enjoyed a surge of interest after the release of the 1984 film “The Karate Kid.” Now nearly everyone who enters Mr. Neglia’s school in Gravesend wants to learn mixed martial arts, the wildly popular staple of cable and pay-per-view television.

“It’s the fastest-growing sport in the country,” said Mr. Neglia, a former world kickboxing champion, in a rapid-fire delivery that he interrupted to take a stream of business calls. “Boxing is dead.”

Mr. Neglia, 58, teaches the fighting style, which combines punching, grappling and kicking, and he is a regional promoter of the sport. In 2009, he will host five mixed martial arts events at the Tropicana in Atlantic City. Each will feature fighters from New York, where mixed martial arts competitions are banned.

It is a prohibition Mr. Neglia finds frustrating. “It doesn’t make any sense,” he said, adding that the sport “could be a major boost to the economy.” Mr. Neglia is among the many people involved in mixed martial arts who are seeking to overturn the ban.

The principal force behind the effort is the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the largest mixed martial arts association in the world.

The association, which is based in Las Vegas and is the major leagues of mixed martial arts, has hired a law firm, Brown, McMahon & Weinraub, to lobby Albany officials. It also hired a consulting firm, the Global Strategy Group, to handle media and political relations. Global Strategy advises Gov. David A. Paterson as well as many Democrats in the State Senate.

Fighters have also traveled to Albany to meet with legislators, and bloggers have organized petition drives and urged letter-writing campaigns.

Those hoping to legalize the sport face a difficult challenge. Legislation to legalize mixed martial arts died last June in the Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development. Assemblyman Bob Reilly, a Democrat from the Albany area, took the floor to excoriate what he called a “disgusting” spectacle.

“I spoke for about three or five minutes without any intention of swaying votes,” Mr. Reilly said in an interview. But his argument that such “brutal and violent” events had no place in the state resonated with the majority, which prevented the bill from moving to the floor for consideration by the full Assembly.

To bolster its case, the Ultimate Fighting Championship released in November an economic impact study claiming that mixed martial arts events would have “a significant impact on state and local economies by generating tax revenues, creating jobs and boosting tourism industries.”

“It’s about education, I believe,” said Marc Ratner, the association’s vice president of government and regulatory affairs. “The sport will never be acceptable to 100 percent of the population. There are people who don’t like N.F.L. football. It’s personal taste. To say that it’s not right for the state to me is very wrong.”

Mr. Ratner said that the sport had changed considerably since former Gov. George E. Pataki called it “barbaric” and pushed for the ban in 1997. It is now legal in 37 of 45 states that have athletic commissions, he said. Most states operate under a set of unified rules of mixed martial arts, first adopted by New Jersey in 2000, which establish weight classes, rounds and more than two dozen types of fouls. Only one serious injury, a broken arm, has occurred in the roughly 800 Ultimate Fighting Championship fights that have been held in Nevada since 2001, Mr. Ratner said.

But Mr. Reilly, a former running coach at Siena College, points to the unified rules as one of the reasons he continues to support the ban. The sport, for example, allows fist and elbow strikes to the head while an opponent is on the ground. “I find the rules themselves speak against the sport and make a clear statement that the purpose of the fight is not to demonstrate skills but to damage your opponent,” he said.

Supporters respond that the sport attracts gifted athletes who are dedicated to true competition. Fourteen former Olympians and 17 former college wrestling champions have participated in mixed martial arts, the association says.

“They are serious, educated and passionate about what they do,” said Christian Montes, a professional fighter who operates Ronin Athletics, a mixed martial arts school on West 37th Street in Manhattan.

Advocates argue that legalization could marginalize fringe aspects of the sport. Peter Storm, promoter of what he calls the Underground Combat League, has been hosting unregulated matches in isolated locations in the city. “My shows attract fans of the sport who don’t want to go to Jersey and would rather see a fight live rather than on pay-per-view,” he said.

Bryan Vetell, 31, a professional fighter from Briarwood, Queens, said he started his career in underground matches. “There was no weigh-in, no gloves, no medical reports, no warm-ups, no nothing,” he said. “But that’s what we had to work with in New York City.”

Ending unregulated fights is one reason that Melvina Lathan, a veteran boxing judge who was appointed chairwoman of the New York State Athletic Commission in July, supports lifting the ban. “The safety aspect is a particular concern of mine,” she said.

Legislators in Albany said that a bill on mixed martial arts would probably not come up for a vote until the end of this session, which winds up in June. Members of the Assembly’s tourism committee remain divided, said Assemblyman Steve Englebright, a Democrat from Suffolk County. “I don’t think it’s shaken its image as human c0ckfighting, not among all the members of the committee,” he said.

A Senate committee did not consider a similar bill during the last session. A spokeswoman for Governor Paterson said he would not comment on the issue until a bill was passed by both chambers of the Legislature.

Carmine Zocchi, a professional fighter and instructor from Middle Village, Queens, said New York should be a showcase for mixed martial arts. “New York is supposed to be the center of the world, and it has nothing,” he said. “I have to travel four hours to fight. Why not have it in Madison Square Garden? Can you imagine how crazy that would be? It would be insane.”


A version of this article appeared in print on January 21, 2009, on page A28 of the New York edition.

[GeneChing]

Most to the point: "UFC officials also are making a push to allow MMA in Wisconsin, South Carolina and Massachusetts. In all, 37 states have passed rules regulating MMA."

UFC pushes to legalize MMA in New York
Updated 10h 30m ago

NEW YORK (AP) — The biggest fight for the mixed martial arts industry will not take place in any arena this year.

Instead, it'll be in Albany, as lobbyists and industry executives try to persuade the Legislature to legalize the popular sport in New York state.

Victory for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, the sport's biggest name, means staging a lucrative fight in Madison Square Garden, one of the most important venues in the country in a key market.

"Let me say how important New York is to our company," said Lawrence Epstein, UFC's general counsel. "New York is the world media center. When you do events in New York you get more attention."

Mixed martial arts is currently banned in New York. UFC failed to get it overturned last year. Similar debates have been playing out around the country, as the sport has surged in popularity: UFC officials also are making a push to allow MMA in Wisconsin, South Carolina and Massachusetts. In all, 37 states have passed rules regulating MMA.

But the Las Vegas-based company finds itself locked in a cage match with a feisty and highly regarded New York assemblyman who has called the sport "barbaric."

"What the people from Ultimate Fighting will tell you is that 'We've changed the rules and it's no longer this brutal, no-holds-barred sport that it was in the past,"' Assemblyman Bob Reilly said. "That's far from the whole story. What they don't tell you is what is allowed. Kicking to the head. Kneeing them. Sitting on top of them and repeatedly punching them in the head and face. They don't tell you those things."

New York lawmakers have not been kind to UFC. The Assembly approved legislation in 2007 that would have allowed MMA but it died in the Senate. UFC tried in 2008. The bill had the votes, but it did not make it out of the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Arts & Sports Development.

This year, UFC has regrouped, rolling out a pricey study that says hosting fights in Buffalo or Manhattan would produce millions of dollars for the cities at a time when the state's economy is staggering under the weight of recession. The fast-growing UFC has retained an influential lobbying firm and deployed top executives to explain the sport to legislators.

Among their arguments: It's not as dangerous as critics claim, and is no longer the sport that Sen. John McCain once called "human ****fighting." UFC officials even cite a medical study that says MMA is safer than boxing.

"The sport has clearly evolved over the years," said Marc Ratner, UFC's vice president of regulatory and governmental affairs, who will be making a trip to Albany again this year.

"It's all about education," Ratner said. "There are some legislators who still believe it's 1995."

Ratner, once Nevada's highly respected athletic commissioner, helped thrust the UFC into the mainstream when he decided the sport had to be regulated while he was with the commission. The commission approved the sport in 2001.

But New York is clearly a huge prize.

"We're confident that we made a great case and we educated legislators," Epstein said. "The political process is always one that is difficult to prognosticate."

As UFC officials make the case, they might have one sympathetic ear — Melvina Lathan, the state's new athletic commissioner.

Gov. David Paterson appointed Lathan in July. She is friends with Ratner and used to judge boxing in Nevada when he was the commissioner. In an interview, Lathan said she enjoys MMA even though she's a boxing purist. She says it has a "bad rap."

"The rules of the game are such you get very few injuries," Lathan said. "It's time to move on I think. It is no longer human ****fighting. ... If it's given to us to regulate, I'd love to do it."

It's unclear whether UFC has the votes to get the bill passed, but Reilly doesn't care. He sits on the tourism committee and intends to stand in the way. He's an unlikely foe and a principled one, according to those who know him.

Before last June's vote, the Albany-area Democrat gave a brief speech denouncing the sport. Ever since, he has been tagged as the bill's opposition leader, even though the Assembly has a Democratic majority.

"I got into this accidentally," said Reilly, a former cross-country coach at Siena College. "This is not my issue in life. I'm very interested in agriculture."

Reilly said he'd think about allowing MMA if there were rule changes, such as if the fighters wore headgear and relied on scoring system similar to the one in amateur boxing.

But UFC objects to that. Fans likely wouldn't pay to see a tame UFC bout. Matches typically are bloody struggles in which fighters can submit, get knocked out or win on points.

In the end, the future of MMA in New York seems uncertain. The chief sponsor, Assemblyman Steven Englebright, appears reluctant to put the full weight of his position as tourism committee chairman behind the legislation.

"I am not exactly what you call neutral since I am sponsoring the bill," he said. "I am leaning toward it. If I didn't think it had promise I wouldn't have sponsored the legislation. I am also cautious because it is a new sport."

Englebright said he was looking at revenue implications for New York during these dire economic times. He said he made changes to last year's bill, including increasing the state's share of gate revenue from 3% to 10%. The bill will have a three-year sunset clause, giving the state a chance to study the sport.

"It will not help New York if, in fact, people are hurt and New York is viewed as a state that has made a mistake," he said. "Again, I am not in a hurry to try to push this through until it has been properly vetted."

[lkfmdc]

It probably won't surprise anyone, because it IS politics, but there is a lot of dirty back room crap going on in NY on all sides and also a lot of stuff that if you aren't in the trenches you aren't going to appreciate. As much as I am PRO MMA in NY, I am against the current bill being considered.....

[GeneChing]

Representative James H. Merrill - anyone know what his take is?

SC bill would lift ban on mixed martial arts
Associated Press, 02.11.09, 08:29 AM EST

A bill allowing mixed martial arts contests in South Carolina has won initial approval.

The increasingly popular sport combines elements of karate, judo, jujitsu and kickboxing. Proponents say mixed martial arts has evolved from its no-holds-barred past to a regulated sport broadcast on TV.

The bill by Republican Rep. Jim Merrill of Daniel Island and co-sponsored by 24 other House members was sent to the full Labor Commerce and Industry Committee on Tuesday.

Merrill said South Carolina is missing out on moneymaking opportunities.

The measure would repeal South Carolina's ban on such fighting events.

A contest was held at the Marines' training facility at Parris Island in October. The state had no jurisdiction because it was on a military installation.

[TaichiMantis]

MMA promoters concerned about amateur fights

LANSING -- A state regulatory department's efforts to prohibit promoters from profiting from amateur mixed martial arts events could backfire, several MMA promoters testified at a public hearing today in Lansing.

The proposed rules, if passed, would drive amateur MMA events further underground and create an illegal industry, they said.

In a side note, the Grand Rapids Press reporter who wrote this piece, David Mayo, was busted this week for growing 20 pot plants in his home....

[Kansuke]

He must be a good swimmer

[GeneChing]

"With no debate, the bill won unanimous approval..."

Bill allows mixed martial arts contests in SC
Posted: Feb 17, 2009 03:33 PM
Updated: Feb 17, 2009 03:33 PM

COLUMBIA, SC (AP) - A bill that would allow mixed martial arts contests in South Carolina has advanced.

With no debate, the bill won unanimous approval Tuesday from the House Labor, Commerce and Industry Committee. It now heads to the House floor.

The increasingly popular sport combines elements of karate, judo, jujitsu and kickboxing. State law currently bans the fighting events.

Committee Chairman Bill Sandifer said the contests could be a moneymaker for South Carolina. The Seneca Republican noted it's already being done.

A contest was held at the Marines' training facility at Parris Island in October. The state had no jurisdiction because it was on a military installation. According to a release, general seating cost $20 each, and ringside tables cost $600.

[GeneChing]

Pennsylvania to Allow Mixed Martial Arts
State Athletic Commission's Newly-Approved Regulations Take Effect Feb. 27

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Pennsylvania has joined the growing number of states to allow Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, events, now that the State Athletic Commission has approved final regulations for the sport, Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortes announced today. The new regulations take effect Feb. 27, 2009.

"I commend the work of the State Athletic Commission on the regulations, which were crafted to ensure participant and spectator safety," Cortes said. "These efforts will assure licensure and testing of participants for communicable diseases, as well as require emergency medical care and insurance for participants. Regulation of the sport also will help ensure that events are orderly and crowd control is maintained."

Cortes noted that MMA has actively sought regulation. Pennsylvania joins a growing number of states, including New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, California, Nevada and Florida that permit Mixed Martial Arts.

The State Athletic Commission anticipates regulating four to five MMA events per month, which may generate as much as $80,000 per year in revenue for the commission. As a self-supporting entity, the State Athletic Commission receives no taxpayer dollars from the state's General Fund.

The commission and staff worked for more than a year to prepare the final regulations, which are commensurate with current boxing rules. Health and safety of the fighters and public protection are key themes of the regulations. Many facets of the sport were addressed, including age and medical requirements, fees, promoter activity, and ring requirements.

The regulations require that all professional ($22 fee) and amateur ($10 fee) MMA fighters must be licensed and take a pre-fight physical exam by a commission-approved doctor. All fighters must be at least 18 years old. Other exams may also be required, particularly for boxers over the age of 36. All female fighters will be required to take a pregnancy test before each event. All fighters also must provide an annual physical (on a commission form) as well as a negative HIV, Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B exam at the time of licensing, and exams cannot be more than six months old. Insurance is required for all fighters and referees, and an ambulance and emergency personnel with emergency equipment must be at ringside at all times.

Highlights of the promoter regulations require that all promoters must have a valid promoter's license from the commission, which costs $100 per year. All promoters must also complete a criminal background check on a form supplied by the commission (fee is $10). A surety bond of not less than $15,000 must be on file with the commission before an MMA event takes place.

As safety and fairness are primary concerns, specific requirements are also outlined for the ring. The ring must be at least 20 feet square and no larger than 32 feet square within the five-ring ropes. The ring floor must extend at least 18 inches beyond the ropes and must be padded with Ensolite, vinyl or similar closed-cell foam, with at least a one-inch layer of foam padding. Padding must extend beyond the ring ropes and over the edge of the platform, with a top covering of canvas, duck or similar material tightly stretched and laced to the ring platform. Material that gathers in lumps or ridges may not be used.

For cage events, the enclosed area must be circular or have at least six equal sides and be at least 20 feet wide and no larger than 32 feet wide. The floor of the caged area must be padded with Ensolite, vinyl or similar closed-cell foam, with at least a one-inch layer of foam padding. Foam padding must have a top covering of canvas, duck or similar material tightly stretched and laced to the platform of the caged area. Material that gathers in lumps or ridges may not be used.

To learn more about the State Athletic Commission, visit the Department of State's Web site at www.dos.state.pa.us and select "State Athletic Commission" on the left navigation bar.

Shoot, I've lost count again... we should do a rolling total of which states are legal here....

[GeneChing]

There are lots of links for more info on the site.

Pennsylvania Legalizes Mixed Martial Arts Fighting
Events Like UFC Can Be Held In Pittsburgh

HARRISBURG, Pa. - Mixed martial arts events -- like the popular Ultimate Fighting Championship Story continues below -- are now legal in Pennsylvania and can be promoted in Pittsburgh.

Regulations much like those that already apply to boxing have been approved for MMA fights and will take effect on Friday, according to a news release from the State Athletic Commission. The state said it anticipates regulating as many as five MMA events per month, which may generate as much as $80,000 per year in revenue for the athletic commission.

Locally, Josh Koscheck is one of the most well-known MMA fighters from western Pennsylvania. Born in Waynesburg, he won the NCAA championship at 174 pounds as a wrestler at Edinboro University.

According to the new regulations, all professional and amateur MMA fighters in Pennsylvania must be licensed in the state and pass a physical examination by a state-approved doctor before they fight.

Insurance is required for fighters and referees, and an ambulance and emergency personnel must be at ringside during fights.

"These efforts will assure licensure and testing of participants for communicable diseases, as well as require emergency medical care and insurance for participants. Regulation of the sport also will help ensure that events are orderly and crowd control is maintained," Pedro Cortes, secretary of the commonwealth, said in a statement.

Other states that have legalized MMA fighting include New Jersey, Ohio, Maryland, California, Nevada and Florida.

A full list of Pennsylvania regulations is posted on the State Athletic Commission's Web site. Here are some of the highlights:

# All promoters must have a valid license from the commission ($100 per year) and must complete a criminal background check on a form supplied by the commission.

# The ring must be at least 20 feet square and no larger than 32 feet square within the ropes. The ring floor must extend at least 18 inches beyond the ropes and must be padded with Ensolite, vinyl or similar closed-cell foam, with at least a one-inch layer of foam padding.

# For cage events, the enclosed area must be circular or have at least six equal sides and be at least 20 feet wide and no larger than 32 feet wide. The floor must be padded with Ensolite, vinyl or similar closed-cell foam, with at least a one-inch layer of foam padding.

[GeneChing]

Remember these politicians when you cast your votes...

Historic MMA Rivalries, Part Five: Politicians vs. MMA
by Matt De La Rosa (Contributor)
February 25, 2009

Mixed martial arts has and continues to see countless rivalries make their mark in the sport’s history books. While MMA’s origins can be traced across the corners of the globe, one rivalry nearly eradicated the sport from the United States.

Politicians have rallied against the sport, since the early days of its inception back in the 1990’s. The most recognized to do so would be Senator John McCain.

McCain’s infamous 1996 “human **** fighting” analogy has never faded away in the minds of fans and pundits and neither has his lengthy history with the sport. However, McCain’s interest had been piqued by the protests of another politician.

Calvin McCard, a local San Juan politician, opposed the idea of holding UFC 8 in Puerto Rico. He became the first notable politician to speak out against the sport of MMA and protested the event.

McCain, an avid boxing fan, took notice of the sport after watching a tape and did not like what he saw. In turn, he became the torch bearer for politicians desiring to ban the sport of MMA.

McCain aided McCard’s cause by sending out letters in order to prevent UFC from holding an event in Puerto Rico as well as to all 50 state governors, in hopes to ban the sport in the U.S. completely. While his efforts to stop UFC 8 failed, Governor George Pataki supported the Arizona Senator and banned the sport in the state of New York.

McCain and his allies would continue their battle against the sport, attempting to cut one of the primary resources—Pay-Per-View. Along with TCI (a former pay-per-view provider) owner, Neil Henry, John McCain convinced many of the pay-per-view providers to drop UFC and other MMA programming from its schedule.

McCain sat on the FCC commission, and in 1997, became Chairman of the Commerce Commission, which oversaw communications in the United States, among other issues. After TCI, Time Warner, Cablevision, and other PPV providers dropped MMA, the audience numbers plummeted.

The audience, that the UFC had been able to reach through potential PPV subscribers in the 90’s, peaked at 35 million viewers. In 1999, the number of subscribers depleted to seven and a half million potential viewers. The amount of buys diminished from 300,000 to 15,000.

With the majority of PPV revenue ripped away, the sport endured a “dark period.” From the late '90s through the millennium, MMA went underground and survived through the Internet, tape-trading, and the few satellite and cable companies with PPV providers carrying MMA.

MMA had been black-balled by politicians and regulatory bodies, because of its rules or lack thereof. In order to get into the good graces of the athletic commissions and PPV providers, the sport needed to go through some changes.

First and foremost: new rules.

Former New Jersey State Athletic Control Board Commissioner, Larry Hazzard, Sr., led the charge for the creation of a new set of rules. A major turn in direction occurred with the adaptation of the Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.

The SACB had begun sanctioning MMA (determined by rules submitted by the promotion) in 2000, prior to the completion of the unified rules.

Hazzard worked with the California State Athletic Commission in the drafting of the Unified Rules. California began drawing up rules based on criteria from Quebec. However, due to budget problems, the execution of the rules in California would not occur for a few years.

In a meeting in Trenton, NJ, on Apr. 3, 2001, the unified rules were agreed upon by the SACB.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission adopted the rules on July 23, later that year. The unified rules brought new life to MMA; athletic commissions and PPV providers slowly made their way back into the fold.

As of today, the sport has been sanctioned in 37 of the 45 states that hold athletic commissions, with more states to follow suit.

Since becoming the UFC’s Vice President in May of 2006, former NSAC Executive Director, Marc Ratner, has also been an advocate of working with commissions to get sanctioning for the sport.

New York seems to be one of the next states to sanction the sport, after banning it 11 years ago. However, Assemblyman Bob Reilly has lobbied against “ultimate fighting” being sanctioned in New York, dubbing it “brutal and savage.”

For every Larry Hazzard and Marc Ratner, there will be a Bob Reilly or John McCain. Reilly’s recent statements show no matter how many strides the sport makes, politicians may never be satisfied. That being said, don’t expect members of Capitol Hill to be hovering over the sport with a shovel anytime soon.

[GeneChing]

meanwhile, back in nm

Lawmaker wants ban on cage fighting

New Mexico already has a ban on dog fighting and ****fighting. Now, one state lawmaker wants to outlaw cage fighting.

Senator President Pro Tem Tim Jennings is calling out the cage fighting culture, saying the sport is just as violent as pitting animals against each other.

Jennings has introduced a bill that would ban competitions where fighters can use multiple forms of martial arts.

Mixed martial arts or cage fighting combines several forms of fighting, including jujitsu, boxing and kickboxing, meaning competitors use everything from knockouts to choke-outs to win.

Cage fighting is currently sanctioned by the New Mexico Athletic Commission and regulated for safety, just like boxing and kickboxing.

But Jennings says it's all about making violence laws consistent across the board.

"We outlawed dog fighting, we outlawed ****fighting, now there is a huge push saying capital punishment is inhumane, so why in God's green earth would we be allowing human ****fighting or human dog fighting or whatever you want to call it. There's not any difference other than the glory of money," said Jennings.

Governor Richardson has not said if he would sign the bill if it passes.

[GeneChing]

...back here in CA...

Fresno mayor wants to stop MMA fights in city park
The Associated Press
Posted: 02/25/2009 10:03:05 PM PST

FRESNO, Calif.—Fresno's mayor wants to bring an end to mixed martial arts matched at a downtown park.

Mayor Ashley Swearengin has followed through on a campaign pledge to move the so-called "cage fights" out of Woodward Park. Now the promoter of two fights there last year that drew thousands of people says he may challenge the city in court.

Some residents complained about last year's fights being held in a public park but the City Council failed to block them in November.

But the city says it won't authorize any future fights in the park.

Promoter Rick Mirigian says that violates his rights because there is no city policy barring fights at the park. Mirigian has talked to attorneys and is deciding whether to sue.