Thursday, December 6, 2012

WAIT, THERE WAS A LEGAL MMA FIGHT IN NEW YORK?

By Jim Genia
December 4, 2012

Promoters had advertised the inaugural Elite Cage Challenge on Nov. 17 as Westchester County’s first cage-fighting show, and a “chance to watch some of the best fighters in the tri-county area.” But no superlatives were needed: For New Yorkers like myself, any chance to see MMA in your home state is a chance you have to jump on.

In 1997, New York passed a law banning professional mixed martial arts, leaving fans on their own. Want to see a wrestler take on a jiu-jitsu practitioner or a kickboxer take on a karate master? “Too bad,” was the state’s official stance, “you’ll either have to go the underground route (which we don’t and can’t and won’t recommend) or get your thrills elsewhere.”


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