Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

UPDATE: Zuffa et al. respond to NYS motion to dismiss MMA ban suit

2012-02-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Interesting read folks. The legal battle for legal live MMA in NYS takes another small step forward as Zuffa et al. filed their response to NYS's motion to dismiss.

Here's a recap:

On November 15th, 2011 multiple plaintiffs filed a Federal lawsuit to lift the ban on live MMA in New York. The complaint cited multiple constitutional violations and was spearheaded by Zuffa, LLC (owners of the UFC).

Then on February 1st, NYS responded with a motion to dismiss and uphold the MMA ban. In a nutshell, NYS argued that the suit should be dismissed and the law should not be judged on the MMA landscape today, but only the circumstances under which it was created 15 years ago. If NYS wants legal MMA let the legislature in Albany take care of it, not the courts.

The main point of the response filed yesterday by Zuffa et al. is to demonstrate of how changes in the sport since 1997 make the live MMA ban irrational today. The attempt to demonstrate that these changes are in fact relevant to the case and that the complaint should not be dismissed.

Read the entire 2/17/12 response here

Some MMA History from the NJSACB

2012-02-17T09:59:00.000-08:00

Those who follow this blog know that I try to present MMA history when I can if it relates to our struggle to get live mixed martial arts (MMA) legalized here in New York. As with all historical accounts, stories differ based on the teller's perspective. Not all accounts of history always match up nicely. Nevertheless, it is important to document history as best we can so we don't forget where it is we came from.

Recently, aware of my interest in MMA history, Nick Lembo of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board (NJSACB) forwarded me this piece (written for another purpose). It recounts the NJSACB's initial participation in the MMA community, through to the development of the NJSACB MMA rules, which later became the unified rules of mixed martial arts used in North America today.

Ironically, the story begins only months after New York chose to ban the sport in 1997. I post it here for our readers with Nick's blessing. Enjoy!

This agency first began to observe this new sport at a BAMA Fight Night event in Elizabeth in April 1997. The agency was observing and evaluating with the intent of possibly developing rules for the sport. This card featured future UFC lightweight champion Matt Serra, and Dan Miragliotta was the promoter. The quiet observation of the BAMA events was done with the intent was to allow the agency to observe actual events and gather information needed to determine what would be necessary to establish a comprehensive set of rules to effectively regulate the sport.

At the same time, the NJSACB had been in close contact with the California State Athletic Commission, who had been working closely with Jeff Blatnick, Nelson Hamilton and Paul Smith in establishing rules for the UFC. While the California commission approved the sport through a rule set principally authored by Blatnick, the sport did not gain the needed legislative approvals and funding to become legal in the state.

As of 2000, the NJSACB began to formally oversee and approve mixed martial arts promotions upon submission and review of their established rules and regulations. These regulations included pre-fight medical testing, medical insurance and ringside physician requirements, among other things. This led to the end of BAMA, due to the new costs and requirements, and Dan came on board as a referee.

With specific regard to Atlantic City, promoters Louis Neglia and Ray Longo held Thunder at the Tropicana 5 championship kick boxing card on Saturday, February 26, 2000. On this card, the NJSACB approved Steve Anshelewitz vs. Mark Shopp in a freestyle grappling exhibition. This match consisted of one 10 minute round. The weight class was 181 to 189 pounds. This contest allowed for open hand strikes and grappling. This contest was the first NJSACB sanctioned professional "MMA style" match held in New Jersey.

The IFC (the International Fighting Championships), held the first sanctioned and regulated full event, under the draft unified rules, in Atlantic City at the Tropicana, on September 30, 2000. Vernon White and Gan McGee were featured fighters on that card.

The previous owners of the UFC, held UFC 28 in Atlantic City, NJ on November 17, 2000 at the Taj Mahal. This event was fully regulated and sanctioned by New Jersey, under the draft unified rules, while the UFC was an entity and a name owned by SEG. Randy Couture became the UFC's first heavyweight champion on this card which also featured future stars such as Jens Pulver, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski.

UFC 30 was held at the Taj Mahal on February 23, 2001. This event featured Tito Ortiz in a middleweight championship and Jens Pulver in a then bantamweight championship. This card was run by Zuffa, the current UFC owners.

With regard to scoring criteria, damage was included in the draft unified rules principally authored by Jeff Blatnick, but was taken out because of concerns with the precocious sports detractors. The concern was that they could make it a negative factor that damage was actually the intended way to win a fight (we know it is, but damage isn't a key scoring criteria in any other North American sport.) Thus, I tried a draft rule set which softened things by not using the word damage. My draft definition of damage in 2000 principally mirrored muay Thai scoring. It read, techniques should be strong and delivered with power to score. Judges should not only make an assessment of the actions of the contestant delivering the blow. They must also assess the effect of the technique on the opponent. The technique should have a visible impact on the opponent These assessments include stopping an opponent's advance, unbalancing the opponent, slowing the opponent's offense, and causing the opponent to show pain. This language was also taken out of the draft unified rules, as was damage, in order to help ease the passage of the sport. (Ironically, this language and the issue of damage as a scoring component is now being considered in 2012 by the Association of Boxing Commission's MMA Scoring Review Committee)

On April 3, 2001, the NJSACB held a meeting in Trenton to discuss the regulation of mixed martial arts events. The purpose of the meeting was an attempt to unify the myriad of rules and regulations, which had been used the past by different mixed martial arts organizations in various jurisdictions. The goal was to foster the growth of the sport. At this meeting, the rules used in New Jersey since September 2000 were discussed, modified and then agreed upon by several other regulatory bodies, numerous promoters of mixed martial arts events and other interested parties in attendance. At the conclusion of the meeting, all parties in attendance were able to agree upon a uniform set of rules to govern the sport of mixed martial arts.

Those at this meeting were

Nick Lembo, NJSACB
Larry Hazzard, NJSACB
Marc Ratner, NAC-via telephone conference
Jerry Boyle, Jimmy Fox, Mike Mazzulli-Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods
Lorenzo Fertitta-UFC
John Mc Carthy-UFC
Dana White-UFC
Bernie Dillon-UFC
Hideki Yamamoto-Pride
D. Benjamin Brown-IFC
Paul Rosner-USKBA
Milt Chawsky, Esq.
Eddie Goldman-media
Dr. Edward Andujar-Vineland, NJ
Dave Sirota-Tropicana Atlantic City

UFC 31 was then held at the Taj Mahal on May 4, 2001. This was the first event under the agreed upon unified rules. This card was seen live on pay per view and was stacked from top to bottom. It featured BJ Penn's debut, New Jersey's Ricardo Almeida (now a NJSACB pro MMA Judge), Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Pat Miletich, Shonie Carter and Matt Serra.

While the NJSACB should be credited with sanctioning the sport, Donald Trump (Taj Mahal), Dennis Gomes (Tropicana), Dave Sirota (Tropicana) and D. Benjamin Brown (local promoter) must be credited for bringing these events to, and promoting these events, in Atlantic City casino venues, thereby giving the sport legitimacy through its venue site.

New York Moves to Uphold Ban on Live Professional MMA

2012-02-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Predictably, according to the Hollywood Reporter, New York State did not simply bow down in the face of Zuffa's federal lawsuit to overturn the ban on live professional mixed martial arts. The state has moved to dismiss the suit; essentially warning the federal judge to keep out of New York's business and noting that if the 1997 law needs to be changed, let the legislators in Albany do it (we know how successful that has been - insert sarcasm here).

However, as I noted in an earlier post, in order to craft their motion to dismiss, New York State was forced to admit that amateur mixed martial arts is legal. This admission was a diamond in the rough for us New Yorker's who have been mislead by the state commission on this issue for fifteen years. It also opens the door for some form of MMA competition to openly begin germinating here in the state.

This battle is far from over as the case has not yet been dismissed AND we have simultaneous legislative movement underway in Albany.

NYS Admits Amateur MMA is Not Banned in New York

2012-01-30T20:35:00.000-08:00

Anyone existing in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) community in New York State long enough to know what the "Dark Ages" of the late 1990's - early 2000's is, will clearly understand how important this admission is by the State's Attorney General in response to the Zuffa spearheaded Federal suit to overturn the ban.

For those who don't know, debate over amateur MMA has raged on since 1997 when NYS banned live professional MMA. While the law specifically stated that live professional MMA was illegal, amateur had never been addressed in the statute. However, this did not stop NYS and its draconian athletic commission at the time from proceeding to use a napalm approach to wiping out any and all MMA in NYS. In reality, they shut down any event that could be considered MMA or might open the door for MMA - amateur or professional.

The end result has been continued confusion and debate over whether amateur MMA is illegal in NYS, and if it was not, why had NYS been doing anything they could to shut amateur shows down. Promoters during the past 15 years have prohibited themselves from promoting lawful amateur events due of the fear of being shut down - unlawfully. Still, other promoters believed, due to NYS's past actions, that amateur MMA was also illegal. This confusion was clearly addressed in Zuffa's suit. For a window into the past and how the ban affected NY area martial arts, check the link at the end of this post.

The other effect this hard line crackdown had in NYS was to bolster the growth of "underground" or more accurately, unsanctioned MMA events. This very history is well documented in Jim Genia's book "Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts."

So, the following excerpt from NYS's motion to dismiss Zuffa's suit, first noted by Genia, will come as welcome news to many New Yorkers:

“Plaintiffs also object to NY Unconsol. Law Sec. 8905-a, because, while it prohibits ‘live professional MMA,’ it is silent as to amateur MMA contests, which ‘undoubtedly occur every day’. They further claim the statue is ‘vague’ as it is unclear whether the ban applies to amateur MMA exhibitions. To the extent that it does not ban amateur MMA exhibitions, Plaintiffs assert that the disparate treatment of professional and amateur MMA activities violates the equal protection clause. This claim, too, is meritless. The statute’s provision on its face explicitly speaks to ‘professional’ combative sports and does not address amateur sports. Moreover, while the legislature, in another statute, regulates amateur boxing and wrestling, the legislature has not enacted a provision expressly addressing any amateur martial arts activity. Accordingly, the statute does not treat amateur MMA bouts any differently from amateur bouts involving traditional martial arts. And, to the extent that the legislature, with regard to traditional and mixed martial arts, has drawn a distinction between amateur and professional bouts, it hardly needs saying that a rational basis exists for such a distinction. Moreover, Plaintiffs, themselves, aver in the Complaint that it was not until the statute was enacted that amateur MMA contests began to proliferate. Plainly, the legislature had a rational basis for explicitly banning professional MMA bouts, but not to address amateur contests.”

Some forgotten New York martial art history:

2002: Lou Neglia kickboxing show shut down

2003: Discussion regarding how the Ban affected Chinese martial arts (San Shou)

2003: Discussion on the state of banned martial arts in NY

2004: IKF News, scroll down to NY news where the ban is disucssed

2009: Jim Genia discusses the dark ages and predicts the admission made by NYS this week that amateur MMA is legal

Update: NYS Responds to Zuffa lawsuit

2012-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

New York Attorney General and District Attorney for the County of New York motions to dismiss counts IV and V of Zuffa et al.'s complaint. You can check of The Fight Lawyer's blog to read both briefs in support of the motions to dismiss Counts IV (equal protections) and V (Constitutional irrationality) of Zuffa et al.'s complaint.

Prior posts on the topic:

December 19, 2011: UPDATE: New York has yet to respond to Zuffa MMA lawsuit.

November 17, 2011: UFC spearheaded lawsuit: Can a Zuffa change its spots for the benefit of New York MMA?

Watch to learn more about the rationale behind the complaint:

Jeff Wagenheim of SI.com addresses the latest Union attack on Zuffa

2012-01-27T13:13:00.000-08:00

For a solid critical look at the current round of UFC/Cullinary Union bickering, check out Jeff Wagenheim's latest story on SI.com

Labor union's anti-UFC gripes, while perhaps valid, ring hollow

"...when a union takes aim at the UFC while hiding behind children and gays, its campaign comes across as nothing more than a spitefully opportunistic sneak attack."

Save the Date: 2012 Rally for legal MMA!

2012-01-23T11:34:00.001-08:00

The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY brings you the
2012 NYC Rally for Legal Live Mixed Martial Arts!

When:
Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 (rain date March 13, 2012)

Time:
11:30am - 1:30pm

Where:
Governor Andrew Cuomo's NYC Office
633 Third Avenue, NY, NY, 10017. Between 40th - 41st Streets.

Stay tuned to our Rally page for continued updates!

Gina Carano on New York Mixed Martial Arts

2012-01-19T15:27:00.000-08:00

On January 18th, noted female Mixed Martial Artist and former Strikeforce Champion Gina Carano appeared on Darce Side Radio. While she appeared to talk about her new film "Haywire", she took a few moments to speak on the issue of the ban on live MMA in New York State. For those not aware, Carano is one of several plaintiffs in the current Federal lawsuit against New Yrok State to lift the ban on live MMA.

...Honestly, it is absolutely insane to me that...as I sit here in New York...they have not legalized it yet. Every other form of competition in martial arts until you put them all together is legal, but for some reason [MMA] is not legal...I think that has more to do with politics than actual mixed martial arts itself.

...We as fighters need to have a voice and I am really honored to be a part of it. So hopefully one day we will all be watching [MMA] in Madison Square Garden.

...[The New York fans] love it, they absolutely lov it here. I would have moved to New York if it were legal. It is an amazing place to be.

Listen to the full episode of Darce Side Radio with Gina Carano, Pat Barry, and Dave Camarillo here

NY MMA Social Networking Campaign!

2012-01-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

In 2012 it will be imperative that we get Governor Andrew Cuomo on board and supportive of legal live Mixed Martial Arts in New York. While some Assemblyman may have the power to circumvent the will of the people and hold us back, they may not want to stand against a supportive Governor. We can't all make the trip to the Governor's office in Albany or Manhattan but, we can all still let him know what we want in massive numbers!

Let Governor Cuomo know on his Facebook Wall that you want MMA in NY! If you are on Twitter, you can tweet Governor Cuomo @NYGovCuomo.

Let's flood Cuomo's Facebook and Twitter with polite requests for MMA in NY. It takes just a few minutes and can have a HUGE impact. Don't delay.

If you don't use social networking websites (and if you do), Assemblyman Dean Murray has been collecting signatures for a petition to Governor Cuomo requesting legal live MMA in NY. Please take some time to visit Assemblyman Murray's website, print out the petition, have all your friends sign it, and send it in!

For all you non-New Yorkers who want to help, you can speak up as well! You all represent to fans, tourists and businesses that will visit and come to NY if we get legalized MMA.

Beth Hurrle of Gal's Guide to MMA: rebuttal to NCDSV

2012-01-13T18:51:00.000-08:00

On January 10, 2012 the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) released a letter to the NYS Assembly urging them to "to uphold the ban on cage fighting" in New York State. The letter addresses the unfortunate behavior of Dana White, President of the UFC and several fighters contracted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); suggesting that these incidents "contribute to a culture of violence against women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people" and noting the effect these incidents may have on child viewers. I am very honored to have the opportunity to post a response from Beth Hurrle, co-founder of The Gal's Guide to MMA

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY
.............................................

I think it’s reprehensible that the Culinary Workers Union has gotten The National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence involved in their personal campaign against the Fertitta brothers via UFC. The NCDSV chooses to recycle old arguments against the UFC instead of providing any factual evidence that UFC leads to violence against women and the LGBT community. The letter is an obvious attack against UFC, not MMA. However, the backlash could affect everyone who participates in the sport.

I am trying to understand how a group that tries to stop violence can speak out against a sport that take active steps to help kids protect themselves against bullying. They also completely ignore the countless women who have taken martial arts classes after being the victim of violence or to keep themselves from being victims of violence. People who practice mixed martial arts learn respect, self control and discipline. These are not virtues that you can associate with a man who beats and sexually assaults women.

Nowhere can I find their objections to other sports. How can they ignore such high profile cases of rape, sexual assault, domestic violence, and homophobia in other sports? Because UFC provides such unprecedented access to the fighters, they are bound to be more apt to have negative comments brought out into the spotlight. However, following some recent high profile incidents, some fighters have shown true remorse and taken actions to increase their sensitivity to issues they may have been ignorant of. Pretending other sports athletes don’t say or act in degrading ways towards women and the LGBT community because we haven’t heard it is ignorant and ridiculous.

Domestic and sexual violence is a worldwide concern. The NCDSV has used it to promote the political agenda of a group of men and women who are involved in a culinary union. They’ve cheapened their name and their cause by aligning themselves with a self-serving smear campaign against a company whose casino hiring practices they don’t agree with.

Beth Hurrle

Co-Founder, Gal's Guide to MMA

Fighter/instructor Caroline Portugal weighs in on NCDSV anti-MMA memo

2012-01-12T09:19:00.000-08:00

By Peter Lampasona for The Fight Nerd

Earlier this week, the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) released a letter to the New York State Assembly, urging its members to maintain the ban on mixed martial arts in the Empire State in 2012. The letter states that the world’s largest MMA organization, the UFC, “contributes to a culture of violence against women and lesbian, gay bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.” Several womens’ and LGBT advocates were approached to weigh in on this new angle of assault on MMA, with the first response and most definitive rebuttal coming from womens’ self defense instructor Caroline Portugal...

Read the entire story and rebuttal here

Rebuttal: The NCDSV has it all wrong

2012-01-10T21:54:00.000-08:00

On January 10, 2012 the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence (NCDSV) released a memo to the NYS Assembly urging them to "to uphold the ban on cage fighting" in New York State. The memo, attached below, addresses the unfortunate behavior of Dana White, President of the UFC and several fighters contracted to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC); suggesting that these incidents "contribute to a culture of violence against women, and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people" and noting the effect these incidents may have on child viewers. The notion that continuing prohibition of live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in New York , despite the offensive nature of the incidents cited in the memo, is completely incongruent with said concerns and itself upsetting in several ways. Let’s begin with the fact that the sanctioned professional sport is not called cage fighting as described in the memo.

I doubt anyone would argue in favor of the unfortunate, offensive, and possibly damaging decisions a minority of people associated with the UFC have made with regard to their behaviors on camera and social media; mistakes many other athletes, professional wrestlers, politicians, boxers, and public figures have made. Unfortunately, moderation of what public figures say and do is not an easy task. Equally difficult is education and subsequent behavior change. But why is perpetuating the ban on live MMA the wrong way to go?

Primarily, this memo is clearly another attempt by the culinary union and their supporters to take a shot at the Fertitta brothers. For those not in the know, the Fertittas are majority owners of Zuffa, LLC (parent company of the UFC) as well as the non-union Station Casino chain the culinary union is battling in Las Vegas. Recently, the union has used New York MMA as a proxy battle ground in this fight. The UFC has been no better in this regard, similarly sacrificing New York MMA to attack the union on another front. The memo is quite transparent in that it specifically addresses the UFC, not any other promotion or concerns with the sport as a whole.

While concerns regarding UFC’s policies (or lack of) may be valid, to prevent legalization of a sanctioned professional sport in this state over such concerns in outright wrong. These are entirely unrelated debates. MMA is larger than the UFC. In 2010, in New Jersey for example, the New Jersey Athletic Control Board (NJACB) sanctioned 19 professional MMA and 20 amateur MMA shows. Only one was a UFC. In 2011, the NJACB oversaw 350 individual MMA bouts (199 pro, 151 amateur). There was only one UFC in NJ in 2011 including 12 individual bouts. 12 out of 350 NJ MMA bouts were UFC. The professional sport of MMA is one thing, union battles and policy changes in a particular promotional company are another. Both the UFC and the union are to blame for these monumental distractions in the effort to legalize live MMA in New York. Now, the NCDSV has unjustly added to the confusion surrounding our sport.

Importantly, maintaining prohibition of live MMA in New York (which began long before Zuffa, LLC ever existed) as the letter supports, would have little or no affect on the UFC, which does not need New York State to continue its growth and development. Perpetuating the ban on live MMA in New York will offer no solution for the damage done by incidents like those mentioned in the memo. The damage of incidents like these is done via television, pay-per-views, social media and other mass media outlets, which every New Yorker already has access to. To maintain the live ban on MMA in New York as some sort of punishment of the UFC would not prompt or encourage the policy changes the NCDSV would like to see.

However, continuing the prohibition of live MMA will have an effect in New York. It will continue to hurt the tax-paying New Yorkers who make a living in this sport as coaches, athletes, promoters, merchandisers, etc. It would affect the state by depriving us of well needed income during one of the worst financial crises this state has ever seen. And most importantly, it will keep alive an antiquated, out-of-date, and poorly written law that arguably violates the United States Constitution.

The ban on live MMA affects us locally, not the UFC globally. If the unions and the advocacy groups concerned about particular messages the UFC may portray were genuinely interested in making a change, they would be attempting to work with the UFC and other promoters on policy development, not trying to act as hall monitors and stamp out a professionally sanctioned sport.

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY

Tune in to 88.7FM WRHU for the morning show on 12/28/11!

2011-12-27T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hi all, please tune it to WRHU 88.7FM (Long Island, NY) for the Morning Show on Wednesday, December 28 from 7-9am. I will be on the show discussing the NY MMA situation and what we face in 2012. The show airs live from 7-9am. WRHU is the official station of the NY Islanders and broadcasts live out of Hofstra University in Long Island, NY (Where I went to grad school!).

LISTEN HERE LIVE

Thanks for all the support! Let's get MMA in NY in 2012!

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY

Support NY MMA for New Year!

2011-12-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

Ok folks, what are you doing on New Year's Day when you are sitting home after a weekend of partying or watching UFC on Friday or Fight For Japan on Saturday?

On Sunday, you can be watching the acclaimed documentary "New York Mixed Martial Arts" on iPPV with Go Fight Live! That's right cap off a weekend of great MMA by supporting NY in our fight for legal MMA! Check out the film that features Josh Barnett, Gesias Calvacante, Fedor Emilianenko, Steve Kardian, Steven Katz, Tara LaRosa, New York Assemblyman Dean Murray, Nestor Marte, New York City Councilman Joel Rivera, Bas Rutten, Oleg Savitsky, Frank Shamrock, Mike Straka, Dana White, and stars CFFC fighter Bradley Desir, Stephen Koepfer, Tyga Maclin, Eddie Goldman, Paula Romero, and Justin Klein.

Mike Tucker, Director of Gunner Palace and Fightville says:

"Anyone who cares about the future of MMA in New York State needs to watch this eye-opening film to discover who and what is keeping MMA out of Madison Square Garden. Beyond the politics, however, this is a moving portrait of athletes in exile - men and women who are forbidden to engage in the sport they love in their own city."

Visit http://www.nymmafilm.com/ and click the watch on-line link! Spend a hour of the first day in 2012 supporting NY MMA!

UPDATE: New York has yet to respond to Zuffa MMA lawsuit.

2011-12-19T07:47:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 15, 2011, attorneys representing Zuffa, LLC (parent company of the UFC) filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. seeking, among other things, a declaration that New York’s ban on live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. Attorneys representing New York State have yet to file their answer to Zuffa's complaint.

According to MMA Payout:

Defense counsel for New York has made its appearance and were granted extra time to file its answer to the Zuffa’s lawsuit. The court will allow attorneys for the New York Attorney General and the New York County District Attorney until January 11, 2012 to respond.

I would also suggest taking some time to listen to this interview with Luke Thomas of SB Nation, Barry Friedman and Jamie Levitt (who head up Zuffa's legal team) as they discuss the details of the suit.

I highly suggest everyone take the time to read the full complaint. More than the voice of an exiled NY MMA community, it is a critical educational piece for non-fans. Yes, it is 106 pages (excluding exhibits), but it will be worth it. If you need some legal clarifications, I urge you to read Jim Genia’s breakdown of the complaint. For some in depth discussion of the suit, listen to this episode of the Darce Side Radio where Jim Genia and Peter Lampasona of US Combat Sports sit in live to discuss the suit and what it means for NY.

Thanks for the love! MMA Business Magazine

2011-12-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

When I was out at Fight Summit in Vegas last week to screen "New York Mixed Martial Arts", I got a subscrition to MMA Business Magazine. As I am brousing through some back issues, I find this article in the June 2011 issue! Thanks for the support guys. It is great to know the Coalition is reaching so many people. We were so close in 2011. 2012 has got to be our year!

UFC spearheaded lawsuit: Can a Zuffa change its spots for the benefit of New York MMA?

2011-11-17T16:00:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, November 15, attorneys representing Zuffa, LLC (parent company of the UFC) filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court against New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. seeking, among other things, a declaration that New York’s ban on live Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) violates the First Amendment of the Constitution. In the two days that have passed since this bombshell announcement the media, blogosphere, and MMA community has been pontificating about what this means for us here in NY, but more on that later. First, a small bit of history…

Those who have followed this blog over the past year will certainly have noticed that I, and other members of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, have often been very critical of Zuffa with regard to their approach to the problem of New York’s ban on Live MMA. One point of criticism has been Zuffa’s apparent unwillingness to work together with the local grass roots and other members of the MMA community to tackle the problem of NY’s MMA ban. Historically, Zuffa has appeared insular in their actions here in NY.

Since New York criminalized live MMA in 1997, there have been a myriad of attempts to overturn the ban with no result. Several years ago Zuffa began spending countless dollars on lobby efforts to no avail. During the past year the fight here in NY gathered critical mass with the coming together of many individuals who had been notable in the local fight for MMA in NY. The result was the founding of this Coalition and all the public (and behind the scenes) efforts we have made including the release of our acclaimed documentary New York Mixed Martial Arts (produced by myself and directed by Coalition member Kahleem Poole-Tejada). Still, in spite of majority support in Albany (in the Senate and Assembly), a local media who was finally talking about the issue in earnest, public rallies, screenings of the film across the state, lobby campaigns in Albany, TV and radio appearances, public panels, round table meetings, and a now thriving and active grass roots movement, the end of the 2011 legislative calendar still left us without legal live MMA.

Baffled, we were all left wondering what to do next. Why did we fail again? Was it the proxy war Zuffa is waging with Unite Here and the Culinary Unions here in NY? Was it the apathetic and ignorant leadership in the State legislature? Was it good old boy politics in Albany? Was it the simple fact that MMA is just a blip on the radar of the NY’s financial and legislative problems? Was it all of the above? Whatever the reason, it was clear another approach was needed. Several of us in the Coalition had discussed the possibility of a lawsuit of some kind to force the issue, but we did not have the means to do so. We were resigned to keeping the issue alive and waiting for the 2012 legislative calendar.

Then, in early September I was contacted by Barry Friedman, a constitutional lawyer and professor from New York University. He explained that he was representing Zuffa and wanted to meet with myself, Justin Klein (The Fight Lawyer), and Kahleem – Poole Tejada (the Director of our documentary). Friedman and his legal team were interested in a setting up a private screening of New York Mixed Martial Arts. I believe I can safely say we were all skeptical and cautious, but we obliged.

At the meeting we watched the film and sat for several hours discussing the ins and outs of the NY MMA community, the battle for MMA in NY, and the rationale behind Zuffa’s impending lawsuit. Friedman and his team were unexpectedly approachable. What struck me most was their willingness to admit they needed education regarding the sport as a whole and help negotiating the NY MMA community waters. Was this really Zuffa we were meeting with? I, for one, had not felt this level of cooperation during past attempts to work with Zuffa’s representatives here in NY. We all left the meeting with knowledge of the impending lawsuit (and promises to keep it under wraps) and a commitment to speak again.

Over the following months I had many discussions with Mr. Friedman. He graciously entrusted me with early copies of the complaint and asked for honest feedback. Still skeptical, but fully aware that the suit would go on with or without my assistance, I offered my help. I did (and still do) believe that if we were ever to get anywhere in NY, we needed an intervention such as this one; a radical change in approach. Many in the local MMA community would not have favored my offering assistance, believing that Zuffa could not be trusted. I too had worries that my suggestions would fall on deaf ears. But, if the suit was to go on I wanted it to be the best and most accurate complaint possible.

Friedman and I had many subsequent conversations regarding NY MMA history, local concerns with Zuffa’s past behaviors in NY, the need for unity in this suit, possible plaintiffs, the life of local fighters, the dark ages of martial arts under previous NY Athletic Commission leadership, and many other topics. Additionally, he met with many of our Coalition members and other members of the local MMA community. Some of whom are listed as plaintiffs in the suit.

On Monday, November 15^th I received a call from Mr. Friedman. He gave me a heads up that the suit would be filed the next morning. I was nervous. There were significant risks involved for us here in NY. I had yet to see the final version of the complaint to be filed. How had my criticism been received? Were my suggestions taken into account? Would I end up regretting my cooperation? Would my friends who became involved in the suit based on my recommendation regret getting involved? This was Zuffa after all.

On Tuesday morning I got a copy of the final complaint (all 106 pages of it). As I read through it I began to feel a sense of pride and accomplishment. Zuffa via Friedman and his team had done its homework, and in so doing have done right by the NY MMA community. The document presented a clear cut account of the sport as a whole. This was not a UFC propaganda piece. It truly reflected the diversity and passion that is NY MMA. Plaintiffs included professional fighters, local amateur fighters, bloggers, fans, coaches, and gym owners. The content of the complaint offers a clear account of the sport as a whole, its history and growth, its safety record, its financial importance, and most importantly its virtues. In a rare moment for Zuffa, the complaint discusses the impact of Bellator, M-1 Global and many other smaller MMA promotions. And most importantly, the complaint clearly makes the point that it is the falsely interpreted message of MMA that has perpetuated New York’s ban.

After reading the final complaint I contacted Mr. Friedman to thank him for taking the local perspective into account. According to Friedman, “The complaint in this case would not have looked as it did without the active involvement with many members of the NY MMA community” and that discussions with the local community “brought the New York grass roots experience to the fore.” When asked about New York Mixed Martial Arts documentary, Friedman replied, “It taught us a lot about how the Ban affected people, and it also led us to some of our plaintiffs. It is a great film, you should be very proud of it.”

Friedman went on to explain:

“Obviously the UFC is an important plaintiff in this case, but we wanted it to be about the fighters and fans, trainers, gym owners, the many people and perspectives that are affected by NY's senseless ban on MMA. If one reads our (long) complaint, the center of it is the story of all these people. We reached out to leaders in that community who had been at the forefront of the legalization effort, to help us locate the right plaintiffs and also to understand how the Ban affected countless New Yorkers. And Steve, you deserve a special shout out for all the help you rendered; also Justin Klein over at Fight Lawyer.”

So where does this lawsuit leave us? It is certainly not a cure all. There are risks involved as this suit is no subtle tactic. Legislators typically dislike when attempts are made to circumvent them. Passage or failure of this suit aside, we risk angering the opposition. In the event the suit is successful and the ban is repealed, we will still need to go through Albany for passage of legislation regarding MMA regulation in NY. And in so doing, we will have to deal with a more angry and entrenched opposition. However, it is my belief that we already have majority support in Albany and that many of our legislators are equally frustrated with the continued opposition by Assemblyman Bob Reilly, blockage of legislation by Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and their cronies. If Albany is forced to regulate MMA, I believe we may already have our ducks in a row upstate.

I highly suggest everyone take the time to read the full complaint. More than the voice of an exiled NY MMA community, it is a critical educational piece for non-fans. Yes, it is 106 pages, but it will be worth it. If you need some legal clarifications, I urge you to read Jim Genia’s breakdown of the complaint. For some in depth discussion of the suit, listen to this episode of the Darce Side Radio where Jim Genia and Peter Lampasona of US Combat Sports sit in live to discuss the suit and what it means for NY.

So, did Zuffa change its spots for the benefit of NY MMA? In this case they did. A tip of the hat goes to Zuffa, Barry Friedman, and his whole legal team. Go get them!

Stephen Koepfer

Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

Petition Washington for NY MMA! Sign today!

2011-11-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the guys at Klutch Wear for getting this going!

The White house has started a program where if you can get 25K signatures in 30 days they have to respond to the petition. If we can get this brought up in the White house maybe they will see what a disservice these NY politicians are doing for us regarding MMA's live ban.

Sign the petition here!

Darce Side Radio covers "Fightville", Ariel Helwani, and "Raw Combat"

2011-11-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

Darce Side Radio covers the NYC premier of the fantastic new MMA documentary "Fightville" at the NYC DOCS Film Festival. This film will go great lengths towards educating new fans as to what MMA is and is not. It was wonderful, as was the Director Michael Tucker who arranged for myself and several others from the NY MMA community to attend the film's screening. Mr. Tucker came to know about MMA while working on a previous film and became an instant fan! I highly recommend the film!!

After the film was a so called "panel" on New York MMA with MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani. Unfortunately, the "panel" was more of a UFC anti-union political attack ad by Helwani than an actual objective and honest discussion of the situation here in New York. What boiled my blood most was his answer to an audience member's question as to what NY fans are doing about the ban on MMA. Helwani's answer was insulting: "They just talk about it", suggesting that we have not been proactive in the fight. Thanks for nothing Ariel.

Listen to the entire panel and subsequent Q&A on this episode of the Darce Side (don't be surprised if you don't hear any New York press or Coalition members during the Q&A...we were avoided like the plague and never called on).

Also on the show is Jim Genia (who was also present at the Fightville screening), author of "Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts" which covers nearly 20 years of NY MMA history, offers a window inside the NY MMA community, and the effects of NY State's ban on live MMA.

Lots of NY MMA news and issues from past to present. Take a listen:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thedarceside/2011/11/08/the-darce-side

All has not been quiet...a NY MMA fall review

2011-11-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

As summer has rolled into winter and we approach a new 2012 legislative session in Albany, it is time to start gearing up for another round for the fight for live MMA in New York State. In 2011 we gained a lot of ground and showed NY just how rediculous the ban on live MMA is.

While the topic may not seem to be as hot as it was earlier this year, have no doubt that wheels are turning behind the scenes here in New York. Some very exciting projects are in the works. Keep your eye on the presses folks.

But in the meantime, get up to speed with some of the press and news from the past several months:

Coming November 6th - The acclaimed documentary "Fightville" will screen at the DOC NYC Film Festival and will be followed by a panel discussion on New York's live MMA ban. This is a MUST SEE! Fightville has won numerous awards and will help keep the discussion alive about MMA here in NY!

November 1st - New York MMA fighter Wally MacDonald is interviewed regarding the NY live MMA ban and how it has affected his career.

November 1st - US Combat Sports explores the poorly constructed Siena Poll that "demonstrates" New Yorkers' "opposition" to legal MMA.

October 29th - Full Contact Fighter covers the Cullinary Union's effort to have FOX drop the UFC from its line-up.

October 21st - The acclaimed documentary "New York Mixed Martial Arts" (co-produced by our coalition) premiered as the first iPPV/on-demand film on Go Fight Live.

October 19th - Filmmaker and playright David Mamet authors an op-ed for the NY Post, noting that the ban on live MMA in New York is a violation of the Constitution's 1st Ammendment (freedom of expression).

October 12th - USA Today covers the Cullinary Union's expansion of its anti-UFC campaign.

October 11th - SB Nation discusses the Cullinary Union relationship with the UFC, the FTC investigation of Zuffa, LLC, and their impact on NY MMA.

October 2nd - Las Vegas Review Journal explores the UFC/Cuillinary Union hype.

October 1st - Another pooly constructed Siena Poll massages the truth about New Yorkers' "opposition" to mixed martial arts.

September 12th - Kalheem Poole Tejada (director the the NY MMA documentary) and Matthew Kaplowitz (the Fight Nerd) sit in with Mauro Renallo on the MMA Show to discuss MMA in NY and their latest film project.

September 6th - The Darce Side Radio hosts veteran NY MMA reporter, Peter Lampasona, to discuss his first MMA bout and the state of MMA in New York.

NY MMA Documentary available iPPV and on-demand starting October 21st!

2011-10-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

We are very pleased to announce that EVERYONE will be able to see New York Mixed Martial Arts via iPPV. Our film will make history as the first feature film to be added to Go Fight Live's internet pay-per-view and on-demand line-up. We will premier on www.gfl.tv on Friday, October 21st at 9pm EST. The film will be available on demand after that. Spread the word and show the world how crazy it is that MMA is illegal in NY!

Another poorly constructed Siena Polls targets MMA in New York

2011-10-01T07:13:00.000-07:00

Some of you may recall my commentary regarding a Siena Poll taken last March regarding New Yorkers attitudes towards sports; one of which was Mixed Martial Arts. Well, the good folks at Siena are at it again.

In a new poll released this week the Siena Research Institute found that support for legalized MMA in New York was holding steady at 39% in favor as they found last March. However, the poll also notes an increase in opposition from 41% to 48%. At face value, this may seem troubling. However, like Siena's previous poll, it is poorly crafted research. The poll does not target MMA specifically, but sneakily tucks a single question on topic of MMA legalization into a portion of the poll primarily concerned with the dangers of legalized gambling in New York. Additionally, MMA is not given the same weight as other sports in the general sporting questions regarding favorite athlete, favorite sport, etc. In fact MMA is not even included as an answer option.

Furthermore, like Siena's poll last March, the wording on the MMA specific question reads:

Mixed Martial Arts, known by some as cage fighting or ultimate fighting. Supporters say it should be legal in the State of New York. Mixed martial arts or MMA is already legal in many states and if legal here in New York would generate fan interest, direct revenues and would be an engine of economic development. Opponents say MMA is dangerous, even barbaric and we should not allow such a violent sport to be practiced here in New York. Do you side with the supporters of MMA or with the opponents?

Unfortunately, the good people at Siena have not bothered to update their question or methods. Inasmuch, my criticism remains the same as it was last March. In the case of this study, as is often the case, the poll question suggests that MMA is dangerous, barbaric, and violent. It refers to our sport as "cage fighting" and "ultimate fighting," which conjure much more violent images of our sport (not to mention that these are not what our sport is called). The only counter argument offered is essentially that the sport is legal in "many" other states (not MOST other states as is the case) and could stand to make New York State some money. Siena is asking people to decide between violence and money. There is no suggestion that MMA is, in fact, very safe; much safer than many other popular sports noted in the poll. In my opinion, this poll was destined to show lack of support for MMA in New York.

Peter Lampasona of US Combat Sports points out problems with this study in the way Siena tucked the topic of MMA legalization in with the gambling questions:

Fully half of the questions on the survey are actually about if sports gambling should be legal in New York. MMA only comes up once. After a full page of statements asking if casino gambling is worth the money or damaging to the community, there is a sudden track jump to [MMA].

In the survey question, the positives of MMA have nothing to do with what actually happens training or competing. All support is related to money. Yet the cons are all directed at what actually is happening in the cage, implying that MMA as a pursuit for the athletes has no virtue.

Placed neatly after the questions about casino gambling, it's clear that the survey is asking only one question: “Would you rather make money or help your community?” Like gambling, the viewing of MMA in this survey is clearly depicted as a vice.

Once again, Siena has added feul to the fire of illogical resistance to the professional sport of MMA in the state of New York.

Read the poll result summary here

Read the complete data summary here

The MMA Show with Mauro Renallo

2011-09-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Coalition members Kahleem Poole-Tejada and Matthew Kaplowitz sit in with Mauro to discuss the documentaries "A Fighting Spirit" and "New York Mixed Martial Arts" as well as the state of MMA in New York.

LISTEN HERE

'A Fighting Spirit' looks at the NY MMA community in the wake of 9-11

2011-09-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

Courtsey of The Fight Nerd:

This Sunday marks the ten-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The way America looked at itself was altered immensely on that date, and a decade later the world is a very different place. Memories of panic and uncertainty are still present, but the urge to keep moving forward is even stronger.

In remembrance of this anniversary, MMA news & editorial website, TheFightNerd.com, has released an exclusive short-film that commemorates this event alongside the New York MMA community. "A Fighting Spirit" is a video memoir that interviews members of the NY martial arts community and discusses where they were when the Towers collapsed, how they have coped, and how New York and America have grown stronger.

Directed by Kahleem Poole-Tejada (director of the full-length documentary "New York MMA," which will be shown at this year's Fight Summit in Las Vegas in December) and produced by Matthew Kaplowitz (Editor-in-Chief of http://www.thefightnerd.com/) in association with Ranger Up, the film takes viewers around a tour of downtown Manhattan and provides a glimpse inside several of New York City's top MMA gyms.

It features many NY-based fighters, such as Renzo Gracie, Chris Weidman, Pete "Drago" Sell, and Vitor "Shaolin" Ribeiro, as well as Stephen Koepfer of "NY Combat Sambo", Mark Yehia of "Elite Plus MMA," Rob Constance of "The Renzo Gracie Academy," and Emilio Novoa, President of ADCC North America. Also appearing is UFC middleweight fighter Jorge Rivera, as well as Strikeforce middleweight Tim Kennedy, who adds the voices of members of the U.S. Armed Forces to this emotional piece.

Please feel free to repost the link to this site or embed this film on your sites and/or social media pages. If you would like to speak with the producer for an interview or quotes, please email Matt@thefightnerd.com. Thank you very much for your support!

--
Matthew Kaplowitz
Editor in Chief of TheFightNerd.com
youtube.com/thefightnerd
flickr.com/photos/thefightnerd

Evidence: Culinary Workers Union Local 226 battling Zuffa, LLC with Regard to MMA

2011-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

Good friend to the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, the Fight Nerd, broke this story a few days ago.

There has been significant debate this year reagrding Zuffa's ongoing battle with Culinary Workers Union Local 226 with regard to the Las Vegas based non-union Station Casino chain owned by majority UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta. While there has been little concrete evidence, the rumor mill has been churning out stories that the Culinary Workers Union was, in fact, blocking the passage of MMA legislation in New York.*

Outside of rumor, the only concrete piece of evidence that any union was invested enough to battle MMA here in New York as a means of sticking it to Zuffa & the Fertittas, was this Senate wide memo from earlier this year, which held little sway; as we now know that MMA legislation passed the Senate with overwhelming support.

Still, Zuffa continued to push the story that the Culinary Workers Union was fighting MMA in New York; as a means of fighting their enemies, the Fetittas, on another unrelated front. Similarly, rumors have been spreading like wildfire across the internet that there was a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigation of Zuffa underway. These two rumors, the Cullinary Workers Union blockage in New York and the FTC investigation, had never been formally associated. They still have not, but it now seems more probable. On August 31st, the Fight Nerd was contacted by...

...the Culinary Workers Union, with a letter addressed to Richard Feinstein, Director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition. In response to concerns raised by professional athletes, the CWU are encouraging the Federal Trade Commission to investigate possible anti-competitive practices in professional mixed martial arts.

Here is a copy of said letter:

I have heard whispers from legislators who once swore steadfast that the unions were no issue in Albany; now suggesting it could be a problem. Quiet rumblings are suggesting that Sheldon Silver, Assembly Speaker and union supporter, is being influenced in this regard (he is the one blocking the legislation). This would seem contrary to the thoughts of Assembly Labor Committee Chair, Keith L. T. Wright, who is a strong supporter on MMA and claimed earlier this year that he had no knowledge of any union blockage in Albany.**

The bottom line is that the Culinary Workers Union is fighting Zuffa in Vegas and in general (the merits of their complaints are worthy of an editorial all their own). Are they or will they continue to be influential here in New York? Only time will tell. New York's political waters run deep and murky. But, one thing is for sure: regardless of whether the union is actively fighting MMA here in New York as a means to attack their enemies on another front, the negative press Zuffa is gaining from it's non-MMA activities is not good for MMA here in our state. It is tarnishing our sport in the eyes of the sport's opposition.

We supporters of MMA need to remind our legislators that the sport is bigger than Zuffa and the UFC. While there may be two UFC's a year in New York if MMA is legalized, the rest of the year will be left to the community at large (the majority) including many, many other promoters and events. The UFC is certainly the biggest and most vocal game in town, but we need to remind people that they are just a small part of the MMA community at large.

Let Governor Cuomo know you want MMA!

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

*See my prior editorials on the subject:
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-union-blues-for-zuffa.html
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/05/zuffas-union-blues-and-new-york-mma.html

**See "Wright is Right"
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/04/message-to-nys-assembly-and-new-yorkers.html

Book Review. Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts

2011-09-02T19:43:00.000-07:00

Raw Combat: The Underground World Of Mixed Martial Arts

By Jim Genia

Citadel Press, Kensington Publishing Company

Release Date: October 25, 2011

Review by Stephen Koepfer

Head Coach, New York Combat Sambo

Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

On November 11^th, 1993 the martial arts world was still a landscape of mythological style vs. style debate; what style was best, the most deadly, or the most capable of allowing one to defend against multiple crazed attackers hiding in urban alleyways. Regardless of such pontification however, the reality was that most chose their style or school based on location; how close was the training hall to my home or office. Sure maybe Ninjitsu was better that Shotokan Karate, but the Shotokan dojo is only 10 minutes from my house. We really did not know any better. We took the word of the great masters who ran our local dojos. By the time 1993 came along I was a proud Tae Kwon Do black belt, and I thought I was a badass.

On November 12^th everything changed. I was 25 years old. My buddies and I gathered at John’s house to watch a new Pay-Per-View event called the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). According to advertising, it would be what we had all dreamed of. This was not going to be an insular Tae Kwon Do or NASKA Sport Karate tournament; the glorified games of tag we were used to. The UFC was touted to be a No Holds Barred (NHB) all out battle to see once and for all what style was at the top of the martial art food chain. There would be no weight classes, foam dipped gloves or booties. No face protectors or chest covers. With the exception of a few gentlemanly rules, there were no technical restrictions.

By the morning of November 13^th, martial artists across America were struggling to accommodate the shocking reality that most of what they had been training held very little practical application whatsoever. Like smelling salt abruptly waking an unconscious man, the UFC reminded us that we had divorced the martial from martial arts. Some folks kept drinking the Cool Aid, convinced that their grandmaster really knew all the deadly secrets and could defeat those TV fighters if given a chance. Others, myself included, made a radical shift in how we viewed martial arts, training, and fighting. Raw Combat is our story.

Within two years I had left my Tae Kwon Do club to train San Shou (a Chinese form of full contact kickboxing) and entry level grappling. Four years later I fought in my first “mixed martial arts” bout (the term MMA did not exist yet). I lost to a kid fresh out of Riker’s Island, but I was bitten by the fight bug. Unfortunately, it was too late. By 1997, this type of combat sport had been criminalized in New York and many other states. Still, my peers and I kept training. We fought kickboxing bouts, competed in the new and evolving grappling scene, and tried to become the best fighters we could. By 1999, I had been the corner man for several amateur fighters; I found a new coach (a Russian expat who trained me in Sambo); and by 2003 I opened my own club and started to train amateur and professional fighters myself.

Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts, written by veteran journalist and New Yorker Jim Genia is much more than the book’s title suggests. What Genia offers readers is far from a simple gritty look at underground fighting. Raw Combat is a rare, often humorous, and intimate glimpse into the world of New York Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). It is a love letter to the sport and community he has covered since the beginning. For me, it was a walk through memory lane. Reading about longtime friends, gyms, and events past and present often brought a smile to my face or heaviness to my heart (RIP Paul Rosner and Gene Fabrikant). New York, where MMA competition is still illegal, is a time capsule. Jim Genia is our official historian.

Since NHB and similar combat sports were criminalized by New York’s Governor Pataki in 1997, the rest of the country has moved on. As NHB fighting evolved into regulated MMA, state after state saw the merits of the new sport. By 2000, the foundation of what would become the formal rules for MMA had been approved by the California State Athletic Commission. Following California’s lead, that same year, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board sanctioned the first regulated MMA event (The International Fighting Championships) and in 2001 adopted similar more refined rules; complete with weight classes, a long list of fouls, and the strict safety, medical and technical requirements expected of any professional combat sport. By 2009, the Association of Boxing Commissions formally approved and adopted New Jersey’s rules as the “Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts.” It was only a matter of time before the sport of MMA was ubiquitous in the United States; except for New York that is (and as of this writing Vermont and Connecticut as well).

What Genia offers in Raw Combat is a detailed timeline of the trials and tribulations of a martial art community abandoned and forsaken during this time of evolution. He allows readers to peek behind the curtain into a community forced to live in the past, presently struggling to participate in the sport it cherishes.

Underground or unsanctioned fighting is often used as an example of why MMA should be legalized in New York. Poor oversight, questionable safety precautions, and lack of regulation threaten the well being of the athletes. If New York were to legalize and regulate MMA, underground fighting would vanish as it has in surrounding states. This can hardly be denied and Genia clearly demonstrates this to be the case.

However, I have often felt that the case against unsanctioned fighting has been overstated; misrepresented. The “underground world of mixed martial arts”, as the book’s title calls it, is often presented as a bone crushing dark place where bloody animalistic instincts rule and respect for humanity and civility are absent. Uneducated mainstream media often suggests that no self respecting legitimate athlete would sink to such a level as to participate in these types of events.

As one reads through Raw Combat, it becomes very clear that the membrane between the worlds of regulated MMA and unregulated NHB fighting is much more permeable, and much less threatening than people unfamiliar with the sport like to think. As I read through the book, I was confronted with fond memories of heading to New Jersey to watch Bart Vale referee BAMA Fight Night, an unsanctioned show hosted by then unknown Big Dan Miragliotta at his Bayside Academy of Martial Arts. Big Dan is now one of the most respected referees in sanctioned MMA, seen in the ring or cage at just about every top shelf show there is.

Raw Combat reminds us UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar and many other now known athletes got their start in unregulated events. We see that the cast of characters training fighters for regulated events in New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, etc., are more often than not the same folks participating in unregulated shows in New York; most commonly the Underground Combat League (UCL). We learn in Raw Combat, that while regulation is without a doubt safer and better for our sport, the folks who participate in unregulated shows are not the villains they are often presented as; regardless of whether they make it to the big show or not. In fact, we learn that customarily, despite the primitive nature of many underground events, it is mutual respect and sportsmanship that still rules the day.

Contrary to the book’s title, Genia spends plenty of time sharing his observations and experiences from the world of regulated MMA. We learn the history noted New York fighter and former Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good. We follow the rise and fall of underground boxer turned pro MMA fighter, Kimbo Slice. Genia shares the heartbreaking story of my friend and former student Kaream Ellington, the local would be champion that could not escape the demons of his past. We are treated to behind the scenes stories from the UFC and Pride Fighting Championships as well as many east coast MMA shows that launched the careers of several fighters including Sportfighting, the Mixed Fighting Championships, Reality Fighting, Caged Fury Fighting Championships, and Ring of Combat. Likewise, we ride the rollercoaster of such failed leagues as the International Fight League and EliteXC.

While I do feel at times the book may not clearly delineate the line between NHB and MMA, critical when educating new fans, when all is said and done Genia offers us an important piece of history gleaned from nearly two decades of being the quiet guy sitting in the back with a notepad. Raw Combat has something for both fans of MMA and newcomers alike. For the average reader who was not there as I was, Raw Combat makes them feel like they were. While Genia stakes his claim as official historian for the New York MMA community, his witty tongue-in-cheek style allows him to play court jester as well. And in that role, he reveals some honest truths about our sport. Most importantly, Genia reminds us that the roots of Mixed Martial Arts lie firmly in New York and that we have been denied our birthright since 1997.

Raissman's Ranting. By Michael Steczkowski

2011-08-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

This editorial by Michael Steczkowski of the Darce Side Radio is in response to Bob Raissman's artcle "Blood Money"* from Yesterday's Daily News

I usually try not to read anything a mainstream journalist like Bob Raissman writes, because he is beyond irritating and often annoying. However, I still found myself uncontrollably drawn to his column on Sunday just to see how much I disagreed with him. I usually read his articles, mumble a few choice words on my opinion of him, then move on.

Yesterday Raissman decided to talk about Mixed Martial Arts (MMA), and I almost spit out some of the delicious Captain Lawrence Pale Ale I was drinking. Yes I was having a beer early on Sunday. No big deal right? But, if you were a star athlete in Mr. Raissman's eyes, you’d be a heathen. That’s the kind of vibe you get from him on a consistent basis.

Mr. Raissmans take on MMA and the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) recent TV deal with FOX is much like like any movie critic's review of a horror movie; always one star or less, and horrible. As a horror movie fan, I often get the vibe that the movies are not watched and the reviews are just mailed in. Reviews are passed off as acceptable because a lot of people who aren’t fans think the films are gory, campy crap. Same problem lies in the public perception of MMA! Today Mr. Raissman was the horror film reviewer, he gave a bad one, and he clearly doesn’t watch the sport.

“Blood Money” was the title of Sunday’s gem of an article. Raissman is appalled at the idea of the UFC being promoted during Major League Baseball (MLB) telecasts on FOX, especially if it’s during the playoffs. Here is a direct quote:

“Still, going full throttle promoting the blood and guts, the punching and crunching of UFC is different. The graphic nature of this type of promotion might upset suits inside baseballs establishment.”

Not only are we back to reading about “blood and guts” but, now we are subjected to a new mis-characterization of “punching and crunching.” Did Raissman come up with that on his own, or did he steal that from Walt Frazier? (for fellow Knicks fans). He also eluded to Dana White's suggestion that we need to educate the masses about MMA:

In order to "educate the masses" the violence of UFC must be presented to paint an accurate picture of what fans can expect to see. It's a major selling point.

Raissman then followed up with the ultimate kicker:

“Does the MLB commissioner really want violent UFC spots running between innings?”

Let me guess, this could lead to kids who see MMA on FOX getting into fights because they are trying to emulate the athletes? Entirely possible if FOX does "mix baseball with blood," Raissman suggests. Everyone loves to have something or someone to blame instead of looking at themselves, after all, we do live in the land of the scapegoat.

Raissman clearly needs to educate himself on the sport of MMA. To write a column about a sport without any knowledge of it is completely irresponsible. It lacks credibility and validity. If you don’t know about something, you research it, learn about it, and gain knowledge of the subject. This is the intelligence behind journalistic standards. But, in this case Raissman lacks both. He’d rather attack the sport we know and love with the same old negative rhetoric.

I said on my show last week that the UFC’s deal with FOX might not sway the New York vote right away, but it is undoubtedly another bullet in the chamber to fight with. I know, I know...I should use a less violent example (sorry couldn’t resist). The more people who see it, especially on a major network, the increased chance it will be recognized.

Lets hope Dana White and the UFC “educate the masses” this fall when the UFC comes to FOX. Lets get pumped up for promos being seen between innings of playoff baseball games. I hate those football robots on Sunday NFL broadcasts, but if you throw some shorts on them and make them MMA Boots I will jump for joy! Let's hope we see the cameras point out George St. Pierre or Cain Velasquez sitting in the stands of a big game, or have the opportunity to hear Dana White, or maybe Joe Rogan or Frankie Edgar talking with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver during a telecast! FOX has always had a reputation for having balls. They didn’t spend all that money to not promote the UFC.

We can’t stop articles like the one that just came out, but we can keep doing what we’ve been doing and that is supporting MMA and New York MMA! I firmly believe that come the fall MMA will finally start to be seen on the same level as NFL, MLB, NBA, and the NHL. Some of the greatest athletes in the sport will start to be seen in a different light and taken more seriously. The real “blood and guts” reputation will be seen as well. The “blood and guts” and sweat and tears of the fighters, trainers, managers, promoters, writers and supporters of MMA and New York MMA!

Then the naysayers will have nothing to stand behind.

Michael Steczkowski, Co-Host of Darce Side Radio

* The article was titled "Blood Money" in the print version of Sunday's Daily News.

Get Cuomo on Board for NY MMA Now!

2011-08-20T15:59:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Now is the time to put the pressure on folks. We may not have succeeded in getting the professional sport of Mixed Martial Arts legalized this year, but that does not mean the fight is over. In fact, the fight is far from over. Now is the time to keep fighting! Don't wait till January, 2012 to start all over again. We have had monumental support and movement this year. The grass roots support for Mixed Martial Arts has blossomed in New York this year. We must keep the ball rolling - NOW!

It is in my opinion (and that of many others) that it is imperative to get Governor Cuomo's public support on this issue. Would Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Assemblyman Farrell (Ways and Means Committee Chairman) block this legislation if the Governor publicly spoke in favor of Mixed Martial Arts? I think not.

The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY has worked very closely with many legislators up in Albany. Perhaps the most passionate and motivated has been Assemblyman Dean Murray of Long Island. Assemblyman Murray, like myself and many others, believes we must get Cuomo on board before 2012. It has been suggested that were the bill to get to Cuomo's desk, he would sign it into law. Now is the time to put the pressure on Cuomo to speak out. He must take a public position on this issue. Let's not let this issue fade from the minds of our legislators.

Assemblyman Murray has written a pettition to Governor Cuomo. Now it is time for all the members and followers of the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY to act!

IT IS UP TO YOU TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN!

Download the petition, print it out, and return it to Assemblyman Murray. It is that simple. Let's get thousands of names on Cuomo's desk by January...or sooner!

DOWNLOAD THE PETITION HERE

Mail the signed petition to:

Assemblyman Dean Murray
1735 North Ocean Ave
Suite A
Medford, N.Y. 11763

Big Thanks to Klutch!

2011-08-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

Klutch Wear has been an active member of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York and an example of what a local business can do to help the cause!

They started by sponsoring the New York MMA Documentary last May at the Bronx Week Film Festival by giving away free shirts to ticket buyers. Then, they included the NY MMA NOW logo on their signage at the Jones Beach store, where they are selling shirts for the summer. They continued to help by giving away a NY MMA fact sheet to each customer with every purchase of a Klutch Wear shirt. But, that has not been enough for them...

Now, on their new re-designed website, they have included an entire "Legalize MMA in NY" page!

These guys walk the walk. They don't just talk about supporting MMA in NY, the go out and do it!

Everyone please check out their new website and check out the new "Legalize MMA in NY" t-shirts they have up for grabs!

Thanks to Klutch and all their support of NY MMA!

Coalition in Black Belt Magazine

2011-08-11T10:40:00.000-07:00

Not sure if any of you saw this, but the August, 2011 issue of Black Belt addressed the issue Mixed Martial Arts in New York. I was glancing over the newsstand checking out the cover stories on Black Belt and other magazines. I was actually searching for an article on Fedor Emilianenko from the previous month's issue of Black Belt. But what I saw on the cover of August's issue was the headline: "Will MMA Ever Be Legal in New York?"

The Article, titled "The Chosen One" by Mark Jacobs, discusses the struggles we have had getting Mixed Martial Arts into New York and ponders the possible weight of New York based UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones' influence on the issue.

In the article, Mr. Jacobs took time to note The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY and our rally earlier this year in front of Assembly Speak Sheldon Silver's office (though you got some of the timeline wrong Mark)

I just wanted to say thanks to Mark for the mention and note to all our readers that this issue is not dead and our Coalition's reach and voice is expanding. Don't give up!

To read Mark Jacob's complete article, pick up the August, 2011 issue of Black Belt Magazine.

Astoria Beer Garden to Screen New York Mixed Martial Arts this Saturday

2011-08-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

By Peter Lampasona of US Combat Sports

This Saturday in Astoria, New York, the famous Bohemian Hall and Beer Garden will be hosting two free screening of the documentary New York Mixed Martial Arts. The film is the feature-length guerrilla creation of director Kahleem Poole-Tejada and producer Stephen Koepfer.

Made in response to the ongoing legal battle for the sanctioning of MMA in the Empire State, New York Mixed Martial Arts follows the issue through the lens of a young amateur fighter, Brad Desir, in the process of making the jump to professional fighting. The film features interviews with such MMA staples as Josh Barnett, Fedor Emilianenko, Tara LaRosa, Bas Rutten, Frank Shamrock and UFC president Dana White.

New York Mixed Martial Arts premiered as an official selection and opener of the 2011 Bronx Week Film Festival and has since been screening in select locations within New York State...

Read the entire article here

More Union Blues for Zuffa

2011-07-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

In the wake of New York's failure to legalize and regulate MMA by the end of the 2011 legislative calendar (last June), Zuffa continues to push their narrative that culinary union resistance is blocking MMA in our state; despite any clear evidence supporting such a story. In recent media appearances, Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta have essentially suggested that New York Assembly leadership (read Speaker Sheldon Silver) is in the union's pocket.

In a nutshell, Zuffa's story goes like this:

Majority UFC owners, Frank Fertitta III & Lorenzo Fertitta, also own the non-union Station Casino chain in Nevada. Station Casinos have been involved in a long and arduous battle with Unite Here and its member unions in Nevada (the now bankrupt Station Casinos often on the losing end). In retribution against the Fertittas, Unite Here is blocking MMA in NY through the local cullinary uinion.

Rather than rewrite an entire editorial on the topic, I have continually updated my May 13th editorial as this story has developed over the past months. At the bottom of the page you will find a timeline of stories related to the development of this story. Please take some time to review the evidence and varied opinions for yourself. I am sure many of you are seeing the various stories in the press, scratching your head, and thinking to yourself "this union story does not make sense". And, you are right. It does not make sense. Where was the union resistance in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, West Virginia, and other states to recently regulate MMA?

What does make sense is that Zuffa's apparent policy of pushing this union story and airing their own dirty laundry (regardless of whether the unions are actually offering significant resistance) is shooting us in the foot here in New York. Zuffa continually presents themselves as the only faction of the sport that really matters. Many non-fans believe that the UFC is the sport, not that the UFC is part of the sport. In reality, the UFC would only be a small part of the New York MMA community. Yet, the average voter and legislator will associate the Fertittas and their questionable practices in Nevada with the the Sport of MMA as a whole.

While this strategy may allow the Fertittas to take a few shots at their Nevada opponents, it can't be good for New York MMA.

New Official Website for "New York Mixed Martial Arts"

2011-07-19T20:24:00.000-07:00

Our acclaimed documentary "New York Mixed Martial Arts" finally has an official website! Everyone please take a moment to check it out.

www.NYMMAFilm.com

New York Mixed Martial Arts

(Kahl One Film Productions & The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY, 2011)

On IMDb

New York Mixed Martial Arts is an enthralling documentary that provides a back seat view of the grass roots struggle to legalize and regulate the professional sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York State. New York is one of a handful of states in which MMA is still outlawed; sacrificing athlete safety, jobs and millions of dollars in revenue to neighboring states and countries since 1997. In his first feature length film, martial artist and filmmaker Kahleem Poole – Tejada presents an intimate account of the struggle to legalize MMA through the lens of one amateur fighter’s (Bradley Desir) quest to turn professional under the guidance of his coach (Stephen Koepfer). Viewers are offered a rare glimpse behind the curtain of the political, sometimes frightening, and always exciting world of mixed martial arts.

PRODUCER:
Stephen Koepfer

DIRECTOR, DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY, AND EDITOR:
Kahleem Poole-Tejada

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Levan Reginald Hines

CAMERA:
Robert Billings

STARRING:
Bradley Desir
Stephen Koepfer
Tyga Maclin
Eddie Goldman
Paula Romero
Justin Klein

SPECIAL APPEARANCES BY:

Josh Barnett

Gesias Calvacante

Fedor Emilianenko
Steve Kardian
Steven Katz
Tara LaRosa

New York Assemblyman Dean Murray

Nestor Marte

New York City Councilman Joel Rivera

Bas Rutten

Oleg Savitsky

Frank Shamrock

Mike Straka

Dana White

RUNNING TIME:

58 minutes

The Old Guard, Unions, and an Open Letter to Dana White

2011-07-13T05:49:00.000-07:00

Considering that it has been about a month since Assemblyman Farrell, Chairman of the Assembly Ways & Means Committee, stamped out MMA's chances in NY for 2011, this week has shown an unusual amount of local news stories and buzz regarding the sport in NY. This is a good thing because it is now that we need to keep pushing the issue. I am glad to see many people continuing the fight!

Of particular interest was one editorial by Matthew Ryder in the Bleacher Report in which he places a lion's share of blame (appropriately in my opinion) for MMA's failure in NY squarely on the old guard of sports media. The editorial is worth reading for an accurate perspective that is all too often swept under the rug.

The second piece of NY MMA media this week came in the form of an appearance by UFC President Dana White on the Opie & Anthony show. Mr. White continued to blame the culinary union for defeating MMA in NY as a putative measure against the embattled Fertitta brothers (majority owners of the UFC) who run the non-union Station Casino chain in Las Vegas.

I have commented on the fallacy of this line of thinking prior and most recently pointed out that despite a desire to find a "big bad wolf" at the root of NY's MMA problems, the reality is that it is a few old powerful men in Albany who simply don't want the sport in our state.

In response to Mr. White's continued placing of blame on the unions, Peter Lampasona published an open letter to Mr. White strongly encouraging him to reconsider Zuffa's tactics in NY and employ of Global Strategy Group, Zuffa's NY PR firm.

Dear Dana White,

I'm writing you this letter to discuss an issue that affects people at every level of the mixed martial arts industry: the sanctioning of the sport in the state of New York. Specifically, I'd like to call to your attention some concerns that I and other MMA supporters in the state have with Global Strategy Group, the public affairs and research firm that Zuffa has hired to represent their interests on the sanctioning issue.

I've written this communication as an open letter rather than a private one for two reasons. First, I feel that while you and other members of Zuffa have the greatest interest in knowing what an independent contractor under your employ has been doing, the information contained in this letter is important for everyone to know if MMA is to succeed in the Empire State in 2012. Second, I understand that you are one of the busiest men in the industry and the only way this letter will seem important enough to be worth reading is if the MMA community at large agrees that it is important, before hand....

To read the rest of Mr. Lampasona's letter, click here

This recent flurry of local media activity regarding MMA in NY shows us that the fight is not even close to being over. We have built up tremendous momentum this year in our battle for legal MMA in NY and the battle is obviously raging on despite the best efforts of a few not-so-good men in Albany.

For a solid post mortem on the 2011 battle for MMA in NY, listen to this episode of No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman and myself.

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York.

August 13th screening of "New York Mixed Martial Arts" in Astoria, New York!

2011-07-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Confirmed! We will be having 2 showings of "New York Mixed Martial Arts"at the Bohemian Hall Beer Garden in Astoria. Come support the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts in New York!

Eat, drink, stay for both viewings (the movie is that good!). The free screenings are on Saturday, August 13th at 9pm & 10:30pm. This is a fundraiser for the film. We will be collecting donations to help support the promotion of the movie.

The outdoor beer garden is located at: 29-19 24th Avenue, Astoria, New York 11102. For directions, click here

Thanks to Anastasios Mylonas and Pankration Kerberos for sponsoring us!

July 30th showing of "New York Mixed Martial Arts" in Lyons, New York

2011-06-24T11:37:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that "New York Mixed Martial Arts" will run a one time only show with Q&A after the film on Saturday, July 30th, at 2pm, at the Ohmann Theatre in Lyons, New York (near Rochester)!

Tickets will be $10 at the door and will help fund our efforts in promoting the film and MMA in NY! Please tell everyone you know in the area! Let's get a great turn out and show what kind of support MMA has in New York!

Big thanks to Mong Phu and Fusion Mixed Martial Arts for organizing this Screening!

Why we did not get MMA this year

2011-06-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, as you may know by now, the legislation that would have legalized mixed martial arts in New York State stalled out in the Assembly (as it did in 2010); never making it through the required Ways & Means Committee by the end of the legislative calendar on June 20, 2011.

Despite a clear mandate by the people of New York, the Senate, and members of the Assembly, Chairman Herman D. Farrell Jr. of the Way & Means Committee blocked the legislation by failing to present it to his committee for review. Farrell, a known opponent of mixed martial arts, chose to ignore the mandate set in front of him by his peers and the people of New York and in so doing, trampled the integrity of the legislative process.

Had Farrell put his personal prejudice against mixed martial arts aside and allowed the legislation to be reviewed by his committee, it is generally believed that bill would have passed as it did in the Assembly's Codes and Parks, Tourism, and Sports Development Committees. Nevertheless, even if it had passed through Ways & Means, the legislation would still have had to get to the Assembly floor for a vote. That would required the blessing of another long time opponent of mixed martial arts, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

In the wake of yet another major setback for mixed martial arts in New York, false rationalizations and narratives are already circulating. People are already suggesting that we sit back and wait till next year. Some are even questioning if New York MMA matters any longer. Once again the unions in Vegas are being falsely blamed for New York's inability to pass the legislation. Once again Assemblyman Bob Reilly, like Speaker Sheldon Silver before him, is falsely stating there was not enough support for the bill to necessitate putting it up for a vote.

The truth is often simpler than all the conspiracy theorists, lobbyists, and power brokers would have you believe. As is often the case, it is generally the simplest hypothesis which proves to be true. And in this case, the truth is very simple: mixed martial arts is not in New York because a few old, ignorant, and powerful politicians don't want it to be.

I recently received an e-mail in response to my Assembly memo in support of mixed martial arts. The e-mail was from Assemblyman Joel Miller and demonstrates what it is we are really up against in Albany. We are not up against unions or boxing fans or lack of support from our legislators. Mixed martial arts in New York is being held back by one thing: the ignorance of a few powerful men. Here is an example of such ignorance:

June15, 2011

Dear Constituent,

This is in response to your letter regarding Assembly Bill A4146. As I understand it, this bill would establish protocols for combative sports, authorize and tax gross receipts for mixed martial arts events. Thank you for taking the time to write and advise me of your views and concerns.

Mixed Martial Arts is a brutal activity. These fighters should not be viewed as role models by our youth. Even though it is not known where the Governor currently stands on this issue, it would be better to cut spending than to allow these activities to be conducted and viewed in auditoriums or on TV, which could encourage immature individuals to imitate this behavior.

This bill was referred to the Ways & Means Committee on June 13, 2011. Should it come to the floor of the Assembly for a full vote, I will be voting in opposition.

If either my staff or I can be of further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us at 845-463-1635 or via email at millerj@assembly.state.ny.us.

Thank you again for writing.

Sincerely,

Joel M. Miller
Member of Assembly
102nd Assembly District
JMM/dc

So, what now? Do we sit back and wait until 2012 to begin again? No.

To sit back and wait now will squash all the headway and progress we supporters of mixed martial arts have made this year. In fact, to stop now would help our opponents in their goal of keeping our sport out of New York. The fact of the matter is we have momentum and a pulpit now. We need to keep up the pressure now. To quit now is to give up.

Now is when we need to fight harder, push the message more, and keep the issue alive. When January 2012 comes around, our legislators need to be on board, educated, an aware of this issue. Mixed martial arts needs to be front and center on their minds as it is now. We need to push this issue all summer and winter. This is where we will see if we have the drive to fight for our sport.

Will you keep fighting, keep sending e-mails, keep correcting the record? I hope so because if you don't, we have truly lost.

Stephen Koepfer

Mandate for Mixed Martial Arts in New York

2011-06-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

Please take time to read the editorial I wrote for Bloody Elbow. Thanks to KJ Gould for contacting me and asking for a commentary! Thanks to BE for supporting MMA in NY!

Last Monday the Parks, Tourism, and Sports Development Committee of the New York State Assembly voted in favor of the bill (A04146) to decriminalize and sanction mixed martial arts (MMA) by an overwhelming vote of 16-3. But, as if the fourteen year fight for legal MMA has not been long enough, on the eve of possible regulation in New York, debate continues full steam creating a virtual race for the finish line. The finish line is June 20th, the end of the 2011 legislative calendar....

Read the entire editorial here

Thanks to all the Assembly members who have supported MMA in NY!

2011-06-10T09:03:00.000-07:00

We are coming down to the wire and everything depends on support in the Assembly right now!

I want to publicly thank and acknowledge all those Assembly members who have taken the time to respond to my e-mails and memos! We can do this if we keep the pressure on. Everyone continue to contact their Assembly member.

Don't quit! Don't listen to the folks who say the bill is dead! Don't listen to all the folks saying to start again next year! This year is not over yet. Keep fighting!

Here are some of the words of consideration and support I have received from the Assembly:

Assemblyman Joseph R. Lentol (D, District 50, Kings County)

Stephen: I have voted in favor of the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts - particularly when Legislation moved out of the Committee on Codes (which I chair) for the first time. We all know there are underground events in New York. So, those events should be legal and monitored to ensure that they are safe and that the fighters and the spectators are protected. I think this about says it all. My vote clearly indicates my support on the matter.

Thanks.

Assemblywoman Claudia Tenny (R, District 115, Oneida County)

Dear Stephen,

            Thank you for contacting my office regarding your support for the regulation of professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) bouts in New York State.

            You can be assured of my support of this legislation (A.4146) to legalize this sport in our state, because MMA can provide New York with a much needed economic boost and help generate much needed revenues for our state budget.

            Independent economic studies have verified that just one MMA show in New York City would generate over $11 million, an estimated $7 million on Long Island, and a show in upstate New York would generate over $5 million. MMA exhibitions fill hotel rooms and restaurants over the course of a full weekend, which will provide much needed revenue to our local businesses.

            Currently, 44 states and several countries around the globe regulate this sport, and reap the economic rewards of holding exhibitions. New York can ill afford to remain on the sidelines.

            If I can be of any further assistance, please feel free to contact my office.

Sincerely,
Claudia Tenney, Member of Assembly

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele, Jr. (I, District 2, Suffolk County)

Dear Mr. Koepfer:

I am writing in response to your letter in which you express your support of legislation which authorizes Mixed Martial Arts in New York State. Thank you for taking the time to write and share your opinions with me.

Please be advised that A.4146-A was referred to the Assembly Codes Committee on June 6, 2011 for review. I can assure you that I have noted your opinions and will carefully consider them should I have an opportunity to vote on this bill during the remainder of the 2011 Legislative Session.

Again, thank you for your letter. If I can be of further assistance to you concerning this or any other State matter, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely yours,
Fred W. Thiele, Jr.
Member of Assembly

Assemblyman Mark Johns (R, District 135, Monroe County)

Mr. Koepfer,

Thank you for your correspondence expressing your support for Mixed Martial Arts in New York State.

As you know, the State Senate recently passed Bill S1707A, which means that Mixed Martial Arts legislation should soon make its way to the State Assembly for a vote. At this time, the only legislation in the Assembly regarding Mixed Martial Arts is Bill A4146.

I do support this bill because I believe that this sport has the potential to spur our great state’s economy; as well as utilize our world-class venues such as the Blue Cross Arena, Carrier Dome, and Madison Square Garden.

Again, thank you for taking the time to write and share your thoughts with me. Please don’t hesitate to contact my District Office (268 Fairport Village Landing, Fairport, NY 14450 - 585-223-9130) with any additional concerns.

Thank you,

Mark Johns
Member of Assembly
135th District

Assemblyman James Tedisco (R, District 110, Saratoga County)

Thank you for contacting me with regards to bringing Mixed Martial Arts Events to New York State. As you may know, there have been several pieces of legislation introduced to regulate the MMA. The New York State Athletic Commission regularly updates the list of martial arts organizations that are approved to conduct martial arts matches or exhibitions in New York.

As a supporter of Mixed Martial Arts, I firmly believe that based on the economic benefits associated with New York State allowing MMA, that the Commission should revisit and review this subject.

Please be assured that if and when this legislation comes before the full House of the Assembly I will keep your views in mind.

Again, thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts on this topic.

Sincerely,

James N. Tedisco
110th Assembly District

Silver is dead wrong on MMA (updated 6/9/2011)

2011-06-08T12:31:00.000-07:00

Today, with regard to mixed martial arts, the NY Daily News quoted Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver as saying "There does not appear to be widespread support in the Assembly for this legislation" We know this is not the case. Silver, is completely disingenuous.

There has never been more support for this legislation: In the Assembly, the Senate, the press, and in New York. Speaker Silver can no longer claim he is following the will of the Assembly if he continues to block this legislation. A clear mandate has been set by the people of New York, the Senate, and the Assembly Parks, Tourism, and Sports Development Committee. New York wants mixed martial arts.

Let me remind you of Assemblyman Wright's memo of support:

Let me remind you that this sport's time has come. Mixed martial arts is not "Ultimate Fighting" as the mainstream press (in this case, the Daily News) continues to falsely refer to us. MMA is a highly regulated sport comprised of traditional martial arts that go back hundreds of years. Please take the time to re-read my memo of support:

If you are a New York fan, fighter, coach, or business owner, YOU MUST ACT NOW and contact your Assemblyperson.
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/p/contact-your-legislator-today.html

If you are a member of the Assembly and support this legislation, YOU MUST ACT NOW, stand up and show your support.

Update: 6/9/2011

Since writing this post more information has come to light that demonstrates the error in Speaker Silver's opinion that the Assembly MMA legislation lacks support:

US Combat Sports: New York Assemblyman Dean Murray Proves Support of MMA with 60 Bipartisan Signatures. By Peter Lampasona

ESPN: MMA Stumbles in New York. By Josh Gross

MMA Junkie: After speaker's gloomy evaluation, assemblyman gives New York MMA bill 50-50 shot. By Steven Marrocco

Message to Assembly: Follow the mandate, give us MMA

2011-06-06T22:12:00.000-07:00

Today the Parks, Tourism, and Sports Development Committee of the New York State Assembly voted in favor of the bill (A04146) to decriminalize and sanction mixed martial arts by an overwhelming vote of 16-3.

Like the Senate before it, which passed companion legislation last May by a staggering 42-18 vote (as compared to the 32-26 vote in 2010), and its committees that passed the legislation 13-1 and 10-1, the Assembly Parks, Tourism, and Sports Development Committee has created a clear mandate for its fellow Assemblypersons: New Yorkers want MMA and they want it now!

But, before we get too excited, the Assembly legislation still has several hurdles to jump. Next up is Codes, under the chairmanship of Assemblyman Joeseph R. Lentol. Assemblyman Lentol is a supporter of legalized mixed martial arts in New York and has stated as much to our Coalition. Reportedly, the bill will be on the calendar for Codes next week.

After Codes, the bill moves to Ways & Means under the chairmanship of Herman D. Farrell, Jr. Assemblyman Farrell has not been a supporter of legalized mixed martial arts in New York. This is where our next significant hurdle will be. Assemblyman Farrell must follow the mandate being set by the people of New York, the Senate, and his peers in the Assembly Tourism Committee by putting the legislation on the Ways & Means agenda.

Assuming Assemblyman Farrell does put the legislation on the calendar, and it passes, the bill will move on to Rules under the chairmanship of Speaker Sheldon Silver. This is where the legislation stalled in 2010. Speaker Silver never brought the legislation up for vote, noting that he was following the will of the Assembly. This year however, is another story. The people of New York and their legislators have clearly spoken. This year, if Speaker Silver is to follow the will of the people and his Assembly, he will have no choice but to put the legislation up for a vote.

If you are a fan, gym owner, fighter, coach, business owner and want mixed martial arts in New York, YOU MUST ACT NOW!

Contact Assemblyman Lentol and urge him to put the legislation on the Codes agenda.

Contact Assemblyman Farrell and urge him to put the legislation on the Ways & Means agenda.

Contact Speaker Silver and urge him to follow the will of the people and put the legislation up for a vote.

We can do this, it is not too late!

Free Long Island Screening of "New York Mixed Martial Arts" Documentary

2011-06-01T19:33:00.000-07:00

Hi all, we will be having a free screening (and voluntary fundraiser) of the feature Documentary "New York Mixed Martial Arts" at Tiger Martial Arts in Levittown, NY on Saturday, June 4th, at 7PM.

This film was an official selection at the 2011 Bronx Week Film Festival. Come down and support MMA in NY!

We will be taking donations (voluntary - no pressure) to help pay for festival submissions, marketing, and othe costs of shopping this movie around.

To learn more about this film click here or join the film's Facebook Fan Page

New York MMA- Feature Film Trailer from Kahleem on Vimeo.

Are you Catholic and an MMA fan?

2011-05-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

There are more people opposed to mixed martial arts in New York than Assemblyman Bob Reilly and a few unions who offer token resistance to take a jab at the Ferittas.

In fact, one such opponent is the New York State Catholic Conference. The NYSCC lobbied against Senate Bill S01707. While their efforts were not successful in the Senate, which passed the legislation by an overwhelming vote of 42-18, it goes without saying that they may still try to lobby against Assembly Bill A04146.

The NYSCC makes the standard ignorant arguments regarding excessive violence, injuries, and death, which demonstrate that the memo's author has not done his or her homework regarding the evolution of our sport from what was once called "ultimate fighting" to what is now a highly regulated professional sport. What was most disturbing in the memo was the equating of professional mixed martial arts to "hardcore pornography and events featuring nudity or live sex acts."

If you are Catholic fighter, coach, business owner, or fan of the professional sport of mixed martial arts, please contact the New York State Catholic Conference and RESPECTFULLY express your favorable opinion regarding MMA.

To understand the NYSCC's argument against MMA, read the following memo which was obtained by the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York.

NY Post: Let'em Fight

2011-05-27T20:46:00.000-07:00

From the editorial:

It's time for New York to join the vast majority of other states and legalize ultimate fighting -- a k a mixed-martial arts, or MMA.

The state Senate this week voted to do just that, giving a boost to a multidisciplinary sport that incorporates elements of boxing, wrestling, karate, judo, kick-boxing, etc....

Read the entire editorial here

MMA supporters, we need you NOW!

2011-05-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

Supporters of MMA in NY! We need you NOW!!!

I spoke with some folks from the Assembly today. Literally hundreds of letters are pouring in in favor of MMA to our Assembly members! Keep it up! The legislative Calendar ends on June 20th. Time is running out. The Senate passed the legislation by a landslide 42-18 vote. Now it is up to the Assembly!

Everyone, take some time to urge your Assemblyperson to support Bill AO4146. Additionally, contact Assemblyman Englebright, author of the bill and chairman of the tourism committe (where the bill now sits), and respectfully urge him to allow the bill to the floor for a vote. He and Speaker Sheldon Silver have an opportunity to make history AND see his bill passed!

The support is there, now it is up to Englebright and Speaker Silver. Guys, make this happen. New York wants this.

Find out how to contact you Assemblyperson, Assemblyman Englebright, and Speaker Silver here:
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/p/contact-your-legislator-today.html

Memorandum of Support: NYS Assembly Bill A04146

2011-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Establishes protocols for combative sports; authorizes mixed martial arts events in this state; establishes procedures for applications for licenses; establishes penalties for violations; imposes taxes on gross receipts of such events.

The Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York is a non-partisan group of organizations, gyms, business owners, and individuals who volunteer to support the legalization and regulation of mixed martial arts (MMA) in the state of New York. There are currently at least 260 gyms in New York State today where MMA is trained.[i]

The New York Legislature should support A04146 and advocate for an up or down vote on the Assembly floor for the following reasons:

1) In 1997 when "No Holds Barred (NHB)" or "Ultimate Fighting" was criminalized, the target activity was completely incongruous to the professional and amateur sport practiced today around the world and in 45 US States. New York is only one of three states with athletic commissions that do not regulate MMA. Since the year 2000 when the unified rules[ii] were adopted in California, and 2001 when the first regulated event was held in New Jersey, MMA has grown to be one of the most regulated sports practiced today. The sport of MMA we see today simply did not exist in 1997. Inasmuch, the old 1997 ban, along with its out-dated rationale, should not apply to the professional sport of MMA practiced today.

2) Today, MMA has the most stringent regulatory and medical requirements as well as a stellar safety record[iii] when compared to combat and contact sports already legal in New York. Furthermore, all the physical and psychological benefits of traditional martial arts and combat sports that form the foundation of MMA (boxing, Karate, Judo, Tae Kwon Do, wrestling, etc) are still present and accounted for in MMA. Simply put, MMA can be seen as a combination of the Olympic sports of boxing, wrestling, Judo, and Tae Kwon Do. In the end, regulating professional sports is the responsibility of NY State to its citizens. To not regulate MMA with full knowledge that there are unregulated shows occurring[iv] is unethical and places the safety of NY athletes at risk.

3) By legalizing and regulating the universally accepted amateur and professional sport of MMA, New York has the rare opportunity to generate 23+ million dollars annually from just two A level professional events[v]; all without creating a single new tax burden on our citizens. Furthermore, the growth of MMA related industry (gyms, clothing companies, tourism, television programming, etc) and smaller B level, amateur, and local events will contribute millions of dollars more to our state's recovery. Essentially, MMA equates with jobs and income for New York State. To continue criminalizing the sport and allowing neighboring states and countries to financially benefit as a result of New York’s out-dated 1990's rationale indicates fiscal irresponsibility during one of New York's darkest economic periods.

In conclusion, I would once again urge all members of the Assembly to re-read the March 15^th memo authored by Chairman of Labor, Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright[vi]. Assemblyman Wright clearly outlines why legalization and regulation of MMA in New York is imperative this year. I urge all members of the Assembly to follow the lead of the Senate where companion legislation S1707A passed with an overwhelming majority of 42-18 (as compared to last year’s 32-26 Senate vote). Finally, I strongly recommend that all Assembly members join the ranks of Governor George Pataki and Senator John McCain, who once led the oppositional charge, but now acknowledge that MMA has evolved far past its neanderthal roots and blossomed into a worldwide professional sport[vii].

Stephen Koepfer

Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

[i] www.findmmagyms.com

[ii] Association of Boxing Commissions. SUMMARY REPORT: Discussion and Review of UNIFIED RULES OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS. http://www.abcboxing.com/unified_mma_rules.html

[iii] Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (2006) CSSI, 136-142. Incidents of Injury in Professional Mixed Martial Arts Competitions. Bledsoe, G. H., Hsu, E.B., Grabowski, J.G., Brill, J.D., and Li, G. http://www.jssm.org/combat/1/18/v5combat-18.pdf

[iv] ESPN. February 16, 2011. New York MMA: An underground story. Josh Gross. http://sports.espn.go.com/extra/mma/columns/story?id=6128694

[v] HR&A Economic Impact Study. January, 2011 http://www.mmafacts.com/images/FE/chain226siteType8/site195/client/HR&A%20Study_Analysis%20of%20UFC%20and%20MMA%20events_1.12.pdf

[vi] NYMMANOW. Wright is Right! A Message to NYS Assembly and New Yorkers. http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/04/message-to-nys-assembly-and-new-yorkers.html

[vii] Huffington Post. March 23, 2011. Mixed Martial Arts in New York: Still Fighting for the Right. Steven Jefferies. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/steven-jefferies/post_2011_b_864998.html

Watch the New York State Senate Debate on MMA

2011-05-23T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today, the New York State Senate voted to pass Bill S01707 (the MMA legislation) with an overwhelming majority of 42-18. This is a significant increase in support from last year's 32-26 vote. Take a look at the debate process in action from today!

NYS Senate to Votes Yes! Assembly Stagnant (Updated 5/23/2011)

2011-05-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

On Monday, May 23rd, the New York State Senate voted to pass Bill S01707 (the MMA legislation) with an overwhelming majority of 42-18. This is a significant increase in support from last year's 32-26 vote.

On route to this victory, the Senate legislation had successfully passed through the following committees:

Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation on 3/15/2011 by a 13-1 vote
Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business on 3/29/2011 by a 10 - 1 vote

The companion legislation in the Assembly (A04146) has unfortunately had much less success.

Since its referral to the Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee on 2/1/2011, the bill has been inactive.

It is IMPERATIVE that you all contact your Assemblyperson and urge them to urge Speaker Sheldon Silver to get this bill moving! There is little time left before the legislative calendar has concluded. To find out who your Assemblyperson is, visit this link:
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/p/contact-your-legislator-today.html

Zuffa's Union Blues and New York MMA (Updated 7/25/2011)

2011-05-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

On May 1st, 2011 a video appeared on youtube that claimed to offer up the reason why mixed martial arts is still banned in the Empire State. The video features UFC President Dana White at the post UFC 129 press conference laying blame squarely at the feet of Culinary Union Local 226 and their parent organization, Unite Here. Unite Here has a long running skirmish with UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta, who also own the non-union Station Casino chain in Nevada.

In the video Dana states:

"It has nothing to do with mixed martial arts...the reason that we're not in New York. It has to do with the Culinary Union. The Culinary Union is spending millions of dollars of the guys'...of all these people who pay dues to keep us out of there because my partners, the Fertitta brothers, are the largest non-union gaming company in the country. So these union idiots, all these people work in the Culinary Union, pay their money towards dues, this is what all their money's being spent towards. Fighting the UFC from coming there and bringing money into the state of New York."

Since the video's release, the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY has recieved many e-mails and inquiries regarding the interview and the possibility that union activity could be blocking the legalization and regulation of MMA in Albany. After all, Dana says in the interview that Unite Here has spent millions of dollars to stop MMA from entering our state as a result of the union's grudge with the Fertittas back in Nevada.

I was a bit confused by Dana's interview to be honest. While it has been fairly common knowledge, Zuffa has never so publicly acknowledged that the Fertittas' non-union business could be sabotaging our attempts to get MMA into New York. The Unite Here unions had lobbied against MMA in the past as a means of sticking it to the Fertittas. This fact alone is a shame as the sport of MMA is much larger than the UFC. Has the union spent "millions of dollars" as Dana claims? Who knows? Zuffa certainly has spent that much in NY and we still don't have MMA.

It is true that Unite Here had lobbied in Albany against MMA in the past and had contributed to rabid anti-MMA Assemblyman Bob Reilly's campaign. In fact, Reilly has not had a direct campaign contribution from Unite Here since 2006. However, conventional wisdom today in New York is that the unions had backed off years ago (with regard to MMA, not from going after the Fertitta owned hotels in Nevada). After Dana's interview I contacted my sources in both the Senate and Assembly. Accross the board I was told that the unions are not a significant problem in Albany.

Maybe I am not getting the whole story and the back room dealings in Albany run even deeper than acknowledged. But, if union opposition were such a critical issue in Albany, Assemblyman Keith L. T. Wright, chair of the Assembly Labor Committee would not be so publicly supporting MMA. On March 15th Wright dispatched an Assembly wide memo outlining his favorable position regarding MMA regulation in New York. He strongly urged all Assemblypersons to support regulation.

In recent years the Assembly has been the primary stumbling block for MMA in Albany. But, I am told that even our friend Bob Reilly is on the defensive and senses impending defeat as he has already sent out two memos this year urging Assemblypersons not to vote in favor of MMA (last year he only sent out one). I am also aware of an impending letter to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver on behalf of Assembly supporters urging him to put the legislation to the floor for an up or down vote.

While being accepted as truth by most out-of-state MMA fans and bloggers, Dana's union blues were met with skepticism and anger in New York by those in the know and on the front lines of the battle for legalized MMA. How dare Zuffa use our state and sport as a pawn in their Nevada based union squabbles! MMA is not a tool for Zuffa to turn Unite Here New York members against their Nevada brothers; which may itself sabotage what union support we do have in the Empire State. It seems that MMA in New York may simply be acceptable colateral damage to Zuffa. After all, it was Dana who said at a January 13th press conference that at the end of the day Zuffa did not need New York. Sadly, this is true. The UFC can move on to Canada, any other contry or any other state and make their money. New York simply may not be a priority for Zuffa.

Almost on cue, as if to combat the negative PR building here in New York as a result of Dana's interview, Ariel Helwani posts a May 11th article clearly designed to bolster Zuffa's position that it is the unions that are blocking MMA in New York. In the article Helwani releases the text of what is presented as an April Unite Here memo to the State Senate outlining why they should not support the Senate MMA legislation (S01707A). The memo, which turns out not to be from Unite Here, but the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council (not a member of Unite Here), cites a lack of adaquate fighter protections and the union's opposition to what it considers unfair practices by the UFC. While on the surface, to fans not in the know, this may seem to be the smoking gun. It is not. In fact, Helwani does little to further asses whether the union has actually had any noted affect in the Senate where MMA has overwhelmingly passed through committe this year. Fortunately, US Combat Sport writer Peter Lampason did just that. [editor's note: On May 23rd, 2011, the Senate passed the legislation by landslide votae of vote of 42-18]

On May 11th Lampasona published his own investigation into the issue. Lampasona points out that the Senate, where Helwani's leaked "Unite Here" memo was targeted, has never been a barrier to MMA legislation in New York. Furthermore, Lampasona spoke with Assembly Labor Chairman Wright's spokesperson, Ben Rosen, who stated that he had no knowledge that Unite Here had contacted anyone in the Assembly this year. Rosen went on to state:

"I don't believe [Unite Here] is what's holding up MMA in New York. Unite Here has never reached out to us on this. You would think that they would want to come to the Chairman of Labor about something like this.... We're more than willing to meet with them and discuss their concerns."

Lampasona further reveals that on the condition of anonynimity, a source close to the Culinary Union Local 226's New York branch "described many leading members as not only being unopposed to MMA in New York, but being fans of the young combat sport."

There is obviously a strategic reason why such statements were made by Dana in his UFC 129 interview. First, they could be accurate. Or, they could be intended to take a shot at the unions and generate hostility towards them on behalf of the Fertittas (thus using MMA for non-MMA political gain); or they could simply be intended to save face because Zuffa's efforts in Albany have not had the results they would like. Lastly, Zuffa may be less aware of the issues we are facing here in NY than we assume and may simply be relying on talking points provided by their NY based PR & lobby groups.

Whatever the reasons, there is a movement in New York and more legislators are speaking out in favor of MMA than ever before. There is a loud calling for MMA in New York this year, louder than ever before. Fans have become much less apathetic. We have rallied, filmed movies, and even the main stream media is calling for MMA in New York this year.

In the end, even if the unions are lobbying against MMA here, take comfort in the fact that lobbying does not always work (as evidenced by the boatloads of cash spent by Zuffa). If the cry is loud enough from us voters, our legislators won't be able to ignore us as they have in the past.

Want to make sure we get MMA in New York? Contact your legislator today and let them know you want MMA! Petitions are not good enough. You NEED to actually call or visit your legislator and politely say you want MMA in NY.

Here's how:
http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/p/contact-your-legislator-today.html

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY

UNION STORY UPDATES:

7/25/2011: Seemingly in response to Lampasona's open letter to White, Zuffa continues to push their union story in the following stories: MMA's toughest match (Times Union, 7/25/11); Lorenzo Fertitta on ESPN Radio July 18th.

7/13/2011: In response to Dana White's radio appearance, Peter Lampasona writes an open letter to white challenging the union story and questioning the motives of Global Strategy Group (Zuffa's NY PR firm)

7/9/2011: Dana White appears on the Opie and Anthony show pushing the union angle regarding New York's Failure to legalize MMA this year

6/26/2011: No Hold Barred with Eddie Goldman. Eddie and Stephen Koepfer do a detailed post mortem of New York's failure to legalize MMA.

5/12/2011: Times Union: New York State Assemblyman Bob Reilly’s position on MMA influenced by major contributor.
*Of note here is how this blogger, who was pushing the Union angle, was forced to edit and modify his story when presented with credible debate. The original title of his article was "Bob Reilly sells MMA Vote to the Highest Bidder." Be sure to read the article's commentary.

5/19/2011: Bloody Elbow: What's Keeping MMA out of New York? Is It the Unions Going after the UFC, or is It the Lack of a Union in the UFC?

5/19/2011: US Combat Sports: Dana White Continues to Push Anti-Union Storyline on Forbes Sportsmoney

5/19/2011: YES Network/Forbes Sports Money: Assemblyman Bob Reilly and UFC President Dana White
*While we generally disagree with the good Assemblyman, on the point of Union resistance in NY, we must agree that it is a far fetched notion.

5/19/2011: Right Hook Radio: Ariel Helwani discusses the Zuffa party line that the Unite Here unions are blocking MMA in NY
*We obviously disagree with Helwani, but want to afford our readers to hear all sides of the issue.

5/22/2011: Las Vegas Review Journal. Culinary challenging UFC to rile Fertittas.
*Another story pushing the union resistance angle in NY, yet this article does not present a single shred of evidence that the unions here in NY are mounting any effective resistance.

5/27/2011: Author's note:
Since writing this editorial, the Senate has passed the S01707A with an overwhelming 42-18 vote. Any resistance applied by Unite Here, or any other union, was simply a token show of resistance. Additionally, NY MMA NOW has obtained a copy of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council memo that is referenced in Ariel Helwani's article noted above. A bit of fact checking revealed that the NYHMTC is, in fact, not part of UNITE HERE as indicated by the memo and Helwani's article. Though, UNITE HERE and NYHMTC do share some board members and affiliates.

Klutch Wear Teams up with NY MMA NOW!

2011-04-27T21:55:00.000-07:00

New York based company, Klutch Wear, teams up with The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY!

Klutch Wear is a dynamic brand made for the rapidly growing MMA fan base. Its mission is to build an interactive community where the fans rule and will be given the unique opportunity to create new designs. The future holds great promise as Klutch Wear expands to include a full array of MMA gear and sets itself apart from the competition.

In anticipation of the release of "New York MMA" on May 16th at the Bronx Week Film Festival, Klutch Wear has agreed to be on hand to support our film with product give-aways!

But, that's not all folks! Klutch Wear has recently signed a deal to have their clothes sold at the Jones Beach store this summer and will be present at all concerts, events, etc! They have generously offered to place our NY MMA NOW logo on their signage and are going to be handing out our MMA Fact Sheet with all purchases and at the store!

This is what the New York MMA community can do when we put our heads together and support each other!

So, I want to say a big public THANK YOU to Klutch Wear from the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY! Everyone check out their website and support a company that supports MMA in New York!

High times for MMA in New York

2011-04-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

By Eli Epstein
Washington Square News
April 24, 2011

As opinion editor, I often undertake the grim duty of siphoning through all of the unfortunate events going on in our world. I read about Libya and Japan and scores of other struggles and tragedies, but what often hits the hardest is the fight over the New York State budget and the continual discussion of what stays and what goes. Though I'm not originally from Manhattan, nor am I any sort of fiscal expert, it hurts to see that the state has to make education cuts year after year. I've spent time volunteering in New York City public schools, where I've witnessed firsthand just how important education funding is in hiring motivated teachers and enhancing the futures of our city's youth.

What makes this all the more disturbing is how the state has handled the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts, which failed to make it through the legislature last year despite passing through the Senate and two Assembly committees...

Read the entire editorial here

Columbia Journalism Student Brett Teal Reports on MMA in NY!

2011-04-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

Mixed Martial Arts Still Illegal in New York from Brett Teal on Vimeo.

Thanks Brett!!

New York MMA Film

2011-04-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

The Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York is very pleased to announce that the film we have been working on with Kahleem Poole - Tejada for nearly a year now, New York MMA, has been accepted as an Official Selection in the First Annual Bronx Week Film Festival!

Visit our film page to see the trailer and learn more about the festival!

"Right Hook Radio" covers MMA in NY

2011-04-14T18:29:00.000-07:00

On April 11th, Coalition member Justin Klein (The Fight Lawyer) appeared on "Right Hook Radio" (the official radio program for New York's Young Republicans) to discuss the NY MMA Initiative and Legalizing MMA in NY.

On March 15th, Assemblyman Dean Murray appears on "Right Hook Radio" to discuss bringing legal and regulated MMA to New York. Assemblyman Murray has been a supporter of the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY and is a co-sponsor of Bill A04146, the bill to legalize and regulate MMA in NY.

Wright is Right! A Message to NYS Assembly and New Yorkers

2011-04-14T12:54:00.000-07:00

Since 1997, when the draconian ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) was put in place, New York fans and athletes have been longing to be able to watch and safely compete in the sport we love. We have wanted to enjoy MMA in our home state in front of our friends and families. During the past fourteen years the sport has grown up around us, matured around us, and benefited the states and countries around us. New York is the pedestrian who stands alone on the platform after just missing his train.

New York has not been left completely behind. We have fighters, gyms, coaches, and legions of New York fans that travel and spend lots of money to participate or watch professional and amateur MMA events elsewhere. Still, most of us are only able to watch the sport we love on television. We are taunted by Times Square billboards advertising the latest UFC event. We are regularly reminded of what we don’t have when New York hosts the World MMA Expo, Strikeforce fan events, UFC press conferences, or book signings with our favorite fighters. All this only reminds us that we New Yorkers still live in the dark ages.

We New Yorkers have come close to getting what we want. During the past several years we have seen bills introduced in Albany that would finally bring MMA back to New York; only to have the light at the end of the tunnel extinguished by an ignorant vocal minority in opposition led by figure head Assemblyman Bob Reilly. But, Bob Reilly is only one man who can’t even justify his own argument when push comes to shove.

In 2010 Governor Patterson included MMA in his budget proposal and bills that would allow for legal and regulated MMA passed through committee in both the Senate and Assembly. The Senate voted favorably and passed the legislation. New Yorkers were excited. We really believed 2010 would be the year. All we needed was the approval of the Assembly. That approval never came.

Despite passing favorably though the required Assembly committees, Speaker Sheldon Silver never put the legislation to the floor for a vote. Silver holds the keys to the car in this regard. On the record, Silver can conveniently justify his refusal to put the legislation up for a vote by stating he simply responds to the will of the Assembly; that in conference, few Assemblypersons spoke up in support of the legislation. Silver has never given an on the record opinion regarding the legislation or sport itself. He prefers to stay quiet behind his curtain pulling the strings.

So here we are in 2011 fighting the same battle again like some bizarre historical re-enactment. Once again, legislation is on the move toward approval in the Senate; already having passed favorably through the required committees. Once again, legislation is scheduled to go into committee in the Assembly. Once again Bob Reilly is standing on his soapbox and sending memos urging Assemblypersons not to support regulated MMA in New York. And once again, we may find ourselves at the mercy of Speaker Sheldon Silver’s whims. What is different this year is that our legislators have been for from silent on the issue.

More New York legislators have spoken out in favor of regulated MMA than ever before. Main stream media is pushing for legalization like we have never seen. New Yorkers have organized to fight for MMA like never before. Sheldon Silver heard us loud and clear when we rallied in front of his New York office last February. Sources in Albany tell us that the topic of MMA has never been discussed with such frequency and urgency.

Perhaps the most encouraging evidence that things are favorably moving in Albany is a memo (attached below) that was obtained by the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York. The memo, which urges Assemblypersons to support legal and regulated MMA, was authored by Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright of New York’s 70^th District. Assemblyman Wright outlines perhaps one of the strongest arguments in favor of MMA regulation in the Empire State.

It has never been more important for New Yorkers to contact their Assemblypersons. It has never been more critical that we do more than sign petitions and send letters. Now is the time to get out there and call or make appointments to meet our legislators in person. It is time to tell them face to face (politely please!) that we want regulated and legal MMA in New York.

This is the year that Sheldon Silver will hear the will of an Assembly that wants mixed martial arts!

NY Times: Mixed Martial Arts Makes Inroads in Baseball Training

2011-04-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

By Joe Brescia

NY Times

Mixed Martial Arts may be illegal in some states, but several baseball players are incorporating its fighting methods into their training routines...

Read the complete article here

Boxing Promoter Supports MMA Legalization in NY

2011-04-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

Legalize mixed martial arts
by Lisa Elovich
TimesUnion.com

With the budget in place, it's time for the state Legislature to get in line with the rest of the country and legalize mixed martial arts. New York is losing much-needed revenue to adjoining states and Canada. Mixed martial arts is the fastest growing sport for people between the ages of 18 and 34, as evidenced by the numerous gyms and fitness centers across the state that now offer classes in it and combat sports.

Read the entire editorial here

One Man in the Way of MMA in New York

2011-04-11T20:20:00.000-07:00

Reprinted with permission from US Combat Sports

By Peter Lampasona

It's April in New York. Beaches are opening on Long Island. Fair-weather joggers are more easily coaxed into Central Park. And Albany is square in the middle of the political horse trading that is the legislative session. Among the issues being debated on the capital is a perennial battle for the sanctioning of mixed martial arts competition in the Empire State.

Debate about the value, both economic and ethical, of the young and often misunderstood sport can be put aside this year, as it has in years past. For the third time in a row, the bill to sanction MMA is nearly set to appear on the State Senate floor, where it will likely pass without issue. Yet, the sister bill in the State Assembly hovers in limbo where it may, also for the third year in a row, time out in committee before it ever sees an honest democratic vote.

A representative from the office of Assembly MMA bill sponsor Steve Englebright said that the legislation was ready to be put on the first of several committee schedules, and has been ready for over a month, yet could not speculate as to the reasons for the hold up.

No speculation is necessary. Everyone familiar with Albany knows that the third annual subversion of the lawmaking process is caused by one man whose name never even enters the lexicon of the debate on MMA in New York. That man is Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Vocal opponents of the sport, such as upstate Assemblyman Bob Reilly and his Kantian objections to all forms of violence and aggression, provide an entertaining distraction for Silver's magic act as he single-handedly bars sanctioning in New York while avoiding all accountability for doing so.

Silver's office has openly refused to comment on the issue of MMA. His press secretary has loudly rebuked attempts to get the Speaker's opinion on even things as vague as the sport in general. The on-paper justification for Silver's expressed neutrality is that, as Speaker, he is a reflection of the majority party as a whole and does not want to influence the consensus with his own opinion.

In reality, no bill gets stuck in committee if Silver favors it. Nor does any bill get out when he doesn't. Mention that the popular suspicion is that a bill is being held up because of Silver and every other member of the Assembly will meet that accusation with a "that is how it is shrug." That Silver is the deciding factor is a well known fact that can't be proven. He is a whip who disguises himself as a mirror when people complain about the lashes.

Zuffa Entertainment, owners of the largest MMA organization in the world, The Ultimate Fighting Championship, and MSG Sports have pooled their resources in the lobbying effort to get the sport into the Empire State. But that effort is largely focused on Madison Square Garden and the benefits MMA would have on Mid-Town.

With no specific tribute paid to Silver's 64th district, the New York MMA promoters who are forced to spend extra money bringing their business to New Jersey, the New York MMA fans who often have to opt out of supporting their small local shows and athletes because they have to go so far to compete, and the New York MMA athletes who deserve to be able to play the game at home can all be damned. Shelly wants his cut.

In February, The Coalition to Legalize MMA in New York held a rally in front of Silver's district office in downtown Manhattan. The modest collection of MMA fans was one of the most organized and polite demonstrations that downtown had ever seen, with a clear and concise message that they wanted MMA brought to the state.

After the rally, whispers started to circulate from behind the scenes, once again with no public statement on the matter, that Silver was angry. As he should be. How dare a group of voters hold him at all accountable for something that is well known to be his fault but he has successfully hid behind the thin veil of plausible deniability?

Well, after three years running, Sheldon Silver isn't the only one who is angry. New Yorkers in the MMA community have every right to hold legitimate sporting competitions at home just as they can in almost every other state and tribal reservation in the continental United States. And these New Yorkers are tired of pretending to believe Silver's sleight of hand.

At this point every phone call to Albany, every letter to local representatives, and every public statement made by MMA's supporters needs to call out Silver on his accountability in this issue and to his constituency. Big lobby money only makes Silver want to collect another check when the battle starts again next year. Polite debate has only caused Silver to hide behind more vocal figureheads in the argument. The Speaker owes New York a statement other than "no comment."

Joe Lozito- the Subway Hero. A film by Kahleem Poole-Tejada and Frank Shamrock

2011-04-11T11:07:00.000-07:00

Folks, here is a fantastic film by coalition member Kahleem Poole-Tejada and "The Legend" Frank Shamrock (who spoke at our February 8th rally in lower manhattan).

Working in conjunction with Frank Shamrock, Kahleem had the opportunity to have a sit down interview with one of Philly's and NYC's most notable heroes of this year: Mr Joseph Lozito.

Joe was able to take time out to discuss what happened on the Subway that fateful day where he was almost killed. But, to his advantage and influence from years of watching Mixed Martial Arts, was able to defend himself and apprehend the attacker- who had just finishing a killing spree throughout NYC.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Frank Shamrock

PRODUCER AND PROJECT COORDINATOR
Court Bauer

DIRECTED, FILMED AND EDITED BY
Kahleem Poole-Tejada

SPECIAL THANKS TO
Joseph Lozito
for this wonderful interview and for being a true inspiration to us all.

Hot97 Street Soldiers with FOX 5 New York's Lisa Evers on Mixed Martial Arts

2011-04-11T11:02:00.000-07:00

On March 27th an MMA round table took place on air from the studio of the Hot 97 Street Soldiers with FOX 5 New York's Lisa Evers.

The panelists included: Coalition member Justin Klein (The Fight Lawyer), Assemblyman Bob Reilly (the voice of the opposition to MMA in New York), Renzo Gracie (world-renown practitioner of Brazilian jiu jitsu and MMA and gym owner in New York), Ryan LaFlare (professional mixed martial artist and New Yorker), an underground fighter in New York, and Bloodstain Lane (hardcore mixed martial arts fan from New York).

Editorial Note: Correction

2011-04-11T09:44:00.000-07:00

On March 13, 2011 I published "West Virginia legalizes MMA while New Jersey sits saturated - implications for New York". In this piece I inadvertently misquoted Steve Katz, promoter of the Evolution MMA show in New Jersey. In the original story, it is noted that the NJACB cut his calendar by 60% (from 10 shows to 4). In fact, his calendar was not cut in such a manner. More accurately, Katz' request for 12 show dates in 2011 was not approved. He was given 4 dates by the NJACB.

I sincerely apologize for the error. The article has been edited accordingly.

Stephen Koepfer

Stephen Koepfer on "No Holds Barred" with Eddie Goldman

2011-04-03T07:21:00.000-07:00

On this edition of No Holds Barred, host Eddie Goldman speaks with Stephen Koepfer, the co-founder of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, and the head coach at New York Combat Sambo.

Eddie Goldman spoke with Stephen on Friday afternoon, beginning by noting the growing public support for the legalization of mixed martial arts in New York. They also discussed some of what has been done and still needs to be done to win this battle in the New York State legislature.

The sport of sambo is growing in stature internationally, Koepfer discussed some of the recent successes by American athletes in international sambo competition. Also noted are how more people are realizing the effectiveness of sambo as one of the many disciplines which are essential for mixed martial arts, and how many athletes with success in both sport and combat sambo are now achieving success in mixed martial arts as well.

Listen to the show here

"Men's Health" Editor-In-Chief Stands Behind MMA in NY!

2011-04-02T08:18:00.000-07:00

From yesterday's New York Times...

It Only Looks Dangerous
By DAVID ZINCZENKO
Published: April 1, 2011

MIXED martial arts is one of the fastest-growing sports in America. Yet for years the New York State Legislature has refused to sanction M.M.A. — making New York one of the last states holding out against the sport’s expansion. (Connecticut is a holdout, too.) After helping to block a clause in last year’s budget that would have legalized M.M.A., Bob Reilly, a state assemblyman, called it “a violent sport not worthy of our society.”

Read Mr. Zinczenko's entire op-ed here

Brooklyn Review Episode on Mixed Martial Arts in New York

2011-04-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

Brooklyn Independent Television's "Brooklyn Review" covers the issue of MMA in NY. Our friend and coalition member Justin Klein (the Fight Lawyer) is interviewed in the piece.

UPDATED: NY MMA NOW on KnoqOut Radio Tomorrow - 9PM!

2011-03-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

I will be appearing on KnoqOut Radio tomorrow night live. The show begins at 9pm and I will be in the second half. Please tune in and learn the latest news regarding the fight for legal MMA in New York State!

KnoqOut MMA Radio and Podcast

KnoqOut MMA Radio returns LIVE this Wednesday, 9:00 PM Eastern time to recap UFC Fight Night: Seattle, Bellator 38 and all the happenings in the MMA world!

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

UPDATE: Episode 68 now avaiable for download on iTunes or the KnoqOut Radio website!

UPDATED: Michael Benjamin New York Post Op-Ed

2011-03-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

The Right Kick For NY
Legalize Mixed Martial Arts
By Michael Benjamin

New York should not sit by as adjoining states and Canadian provinces sponsor MMA shows and reap the economic benefits. Nor should New York prevent its native sons from competing in their home state. The time to legalize MMA is now.

Read Benjamin's entire Op-Ed here

Comment: Michael Benjamin is a great supporter of MMA and our coalition. Take some time to listen to him on this episode of cage radio. We greatly appreciate his efforts on our behalf!

Nevertheless, I need to correct the record and say that Mixed Martial Arts is NOT "ultimate fighting" or "no-holds-barred" as noted in this editorial. These terms refer to the old no-rules days. We supporters of MMA MUST stop using such antiquated terms that contradict what our sport is, offers ammunition to the opposition, and misleads the average mainstream media reader who may be ignorant to our sport.

UPDATE 3/24/2011:
Michael Benjamin contacted me this morning and asked that I post the following:

It was not my intention to undermine my argument with such an outdated definition of what is now a truly well regulated sport. Mixed martial arts is a regulated professional and amateur sport where martial artists and combat sports athletes from diverse training backgrounds can compete safely under a unified set of rules and the oversight of state athletic commissions. And I support the athletes and fans who have made mixed martial arts the fastest growing sport worldwide. I will continue working to lift of the current New York State ban on mixed martial arts.

UPDATED: Jones' title shot brings NY MMA into the spotlight

2011-03-19T13:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight, just across the river from New York City, UFC 128 will take place in New Jersey. The pre-fight press conference was held this past Wednesday in New York (at Radio City Music Hall) with great reception from New York fans, including NYC Councilman Joel Rivera. The main event boasts challenger and native New Yorker Jon Jones against current Light Heavyweight UFC Champion, Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua.

Simply put, it is sad that Jones, a New Yorker, stepping into the cage for the fight of his career, can't do it in his home state. Jones himself points out the irony in an op-ed he penned for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Rashad Evans, another native New Yorker, MMA fighter and former UFC Champion recently commented in an op-ed for the Buffalo News.

This moment (or lost moment) in New York MMA history is not being overlooked by the mainstream media.

The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NY1 News, the NY Post, and CBS News have covered the story. Even NY1 News hosted UFC President Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta on Inside City Hall, where they once again made the clear case in favor of our professional sport of mixed martial arts.

However, still leading the pack in opposition to mixed martial arts in New York State is Assemblyman Bob Reilly (D, Albany & Saratoga). Subsequent to White and Fertitta, Reilly also appeared on NY1's Inside City Hall to once again state his uninformed moralistic case against mixed martial arts. Ray Krueger details Reilly's case as well as the history of New York's battle for legal and regulated MMA in today's New York Times.

Amid what is arguably the worst economic climate New York State legislators have ever had to face, it is almost inconceivable that Assemblyman Reilly continues to ignorantly defend the ban of the professional sport of mixed martial arts. In fact, in a recent Albany television news story, Reilly has even suggested banning professional boxing!

As we New Yorker’s face a budget gap of ten billion dollars that threatens public education, healthcare, public transportation, public television and radio, services for senior citizens, and countless other critical services and jobs, Reilly continues to focus his valuable energies towards blasting our sport and misrepresenting the facts. He continues standing on his soap box despite a near ubiquitous acceptance of the sport across the United States, a demonstrated health and safety record that exceeds most other popular contact sports, and significant financial benefits that could be brought to New York during its greatest time of need - without creating a single new tax.

While some suggest it is not simply a desire to legislate morals that keeps Reilly focused on this crusade, one has to wonder where Assemblyman Reilly’s priorities really lie as he continues to legislate in accordance with his own moral compass and willingly disregard the facts and desires of New Yorkers in the process.

The bottom line is not about dollars, as Assemblyman Reilly states. I could not agree more. In the end, mixed martial arts is a professional sport and all professional sports should be regulated for the safety of the athletes.

Note: To see my assessment of the Sienna Poll Assemblyman Reilly mentions during his NY1 Interview, read: Correcting the Record, The Sienna Research Institute Poll

UPDATE: Jones did win the title and will likely firht Rashad Evans as his first defense. Evans is another native New Yorker. We will soon see 2 New Yorkers competing for the UFC Lt. Heavyweight Title and they can't do it in their home state!

Just to give some perspective on where MMA fighters come from, here is Jon Jones competing in a grappling tournament in January, 2008 (Ithica, NY)...before his MMA debut:

UPDATE: NYC Councilman Joel Rivera supports MMA in New York

2011-03-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

I am very please to announce that NYC Councilman Joel Rivera (D, 15th District, Majority Leader) has been in communication with the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, has voiced his support and thrown his hat into the battle for legal MMA in New York. I have had the pleasure of beginning discussions with Councilman Rivera's office regarding how we can collaborate to help get mixed martial arts legalized this year. Some very interesting projects are in the works. Keep your eyes open folks!

In addition, Councilman Rivera spoke at the UFC press conference at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, March 16th at 12:30PM.

While on the surface legalizing mixed martial arts may seem to be out of the scope of New York City governement, the reality is that leaglizing our professional sport is critically dependent on support of ALL our elected officials accross the state, both local and otherwise.

On behalf of all New Yorkers, the Coalition would like to thank Councilman Rivera for reaching out to us and lending his support to the fight for legal MMA in New York!

UPDATED: 3/19/2011

Today I was very pleased to meet Councilman Rivera and his Director of Public Affairs, Christine Capetillo at the Radio City Hall press conference. We began discussing some great joint ventures! To learn more about Councilman Rivera and his views on MMA, read:

In 2010 Rivera was co-sponsor (along with Councilman Jumaane D. Williams) of a resultion in the NYC council that calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass Assembly legislation which would legalize Mixed Martial Arts in the State of New York: Resolution 0318-2010

NY1 News: UFC Supporters Make Case To Legalize Sport In New York

News 12: Bronx MMA fans push for right to fight

Bronx News Network: Bronx Pol Joel Rivera Rallies to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts

US Combat Sports: Councilman Joel Rivera Joins Fight for MMA in New York

Fighters Only: NYC Politics Heavyweight Rivera comes firmly in the UFC Corner

Boggie Downer: Councilman Joel Rivera joins Dana White, President of UFC to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York.

Correcting the Record: Sienna Research Institute Poll

2011-03-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

In a poll published by the Siena Research Institute of Siena College (Loudonville, NY) published today, it is concluded that New Yorkers are equally divided on the issue of legalizing mixed martial arts. The poll reports:

Currently, residents are evenly divided on legalizing mixed martial arts (MMA), known as ultimate fighting, as 39 percent favor legalization while 41 percent find it dangerous, even barbaric and would ban it. “Majorities of men, those age 18 to 34 and avid sports fans support MMA while older New Yorkers and women are most opposed to the sport that supporters insist would generate fan interest, and be an engine of economic development,”

One of my major criticisms about the common argument used by many fans, the mainstream media and other sources to defend MMA's legalization in NY is the fact that it could bring substantial economic benefit to the state. This is the position offered in the Siena poll. While it is true that MMA could bring needed revenue into New York, this argument is generally positioned against the opposing sentiment that mixed martial arts is too "dangerous, even barbaric." This juxtaposition generally leaves the uneducated New Yorker to believe the final argument in favor of MMA is: "Yes, MMA is barbaric, but let's legalize it for the money." This could not be further from the reality of our sport and where supporters of our MMA stand.

Anyone in research knows that polls can be fairly reliable, but they are often the least reliable method of inquiry for many reasons. We also know that the outcome of a poll is entirely dependent on the language of the pollster. Let's examine this Siena poll question in more detail:

The question read by pollsters to the subjects in this study was:

Mixed Martial Arts, known by some as cage fighting or ultimate fighting. Supporters say it should be legal in the State of New York. Mixed martial arts or MMA is already legal in many states and if legal here in New York would generate fan interest, direct revenues and would be an engine of economic development. Opponents say MMA is dangerous, even barbaric and we should not allow such a violent sport to be practiced here in New York. Do you side with the supporters of MMA or with the opponents?

Now, this poll does attempt to control for various levels of sports fan in the study. And not surprisingly, among people who considered themselves avid sports fans, the poll was not equally split at all. 59% of avid fans supported legalization and 31% did not. 15% claimed not to have enough information. Among non-sports fans, the results were opposite with 29% of respondents in favor, 43% not in favor, and 23 % claiming they did not have enough information.This discrepancy in results between avid fans and non-fans highlight the critical need for education of the general public about what mixed martial arts is and what it is not.

It stands to reason that avid fans would have better education and understanding regarding what mixed martial arts is and what it is not, thus being more likely to support legalization as the poll showed. However, it is the non-fans that are the critical element in this study, and for the battle to legalize MMA in New York. It should be fairly obvious that the majority of New Yorkers would fall into the "non-fan" category when it comes to MMA. It is these people who will answer a poll question based primarily on how the question is worded (and how the mainstream media presents the sport).

In the case of this study, as is often the case, the poll question suggests that MMA is dangerous, barbaric, and violent. It refers to our sport as "cage fighting" and "ultimate fighting," which conjure much more violent images of our sport (not to mention that these are not what our sport is called). The only counter argument offered is essentially that the sport is legal in many other states (not MOST other states as is the case) and could stand to make New York State some money. This brings us back to my original criticism. This poll is asking people to decide between violence and money. There is no suggestion that MMA is, in fact, very safe; much safer than many other popular sports. In my opinion, this poll was destined to show lack of support for MMA in New York.

*To review the entire Siena poll results view here

Coalition Rally covered in "The Reem"

2011-03-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

K1, Dream and Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem covers the February 8th Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York Rally in episode one of his documentary series "The Reem"

NY MMA NOW on "Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo"

2011-03-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

Today, Stephen Koepfer of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in NY was on "Fight Show with Mauro Ranallo" regarding legalization of MMA in NY and the early inclusion of the MMA bill (New York Senate Bill 1707A) on the agenda of the Senate Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation.

You can catch the reply at the link about or on iTunes.

Correcting the Record: Matthew Saccaro and the Bleacher Report

2011-03-13T21:25:00.000-07:00

On February 26th, 2011, Matthew Saccaro published an article on the Bleacher Report called: Carmelo Anthony, UFC and New York: How Do They Fit Together?

In his article Saccaro states (correctly in my opinion) that mixed martial arts is not as popular as fans like to believe and this is demonstrated by the fact that MMA's legal woes in New York are being overshadowed in the mainstream media by such sports stories like Carmello Anthony's move to New York or the impending NFL lockout.

Mr. Saccaro then goes on to state:

Despite the burgeoning MMA scene within New York—meaning the prevalence of MMA gyms and the emergence of fighters such as Gian Villante and Chris Weidman, who will take on Alessio Sakara at UFC on Versus 3—the UFC has not been able to pervade the minds of a majority of New York's sports-watching population.

The recent “Legalize MMA” rally that took place back in February clearly failed to strike a chord with the New York State government [bold added], since nothing is being done. Perhaps the UFC is appealing too much to the government’s head and not its wallet

It is this comment about the UFC and the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY rally where Saccaro starts to drift. In this quote as well as the majority of the article, his implication that the UFC is synonymous with MMA in NY is off base. MMA is a professional sport. The UFC is a brand, a huge brand, but still just a brand. To cover a sport as if a single brand (yes, the largest one) comprises the entirety of the sport is inaccurate to say the least.

Contrary to what Saccaro states, the point of our rally was to reach everyday New Yorkers, not Albany. After all, it is everyday New Yorkers (voters) who will challenge our legislators in Albany.

Of course the rally's location was chosen for strategic reasons having to do with affairs in Albany, but the main goal of the rally was (as has been clarified as such many times) to see who was paying attention to our coalition's efforts, to begin correcting the record for the mainstream media and to reach everyday New Yorkers face to face. This goal was accomplished. After all, Saccaro is mentioning us, right?

Over a month later, we are still feeling the effects of the rally. We are still talking with legislators, fielding phone calls, requests for interviews, and e-mails of support. Members of the coalition have been interviewed for impending articles in Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal and New York Times. The rally was covered in the New York Daily News, New York Metro, NBC's All Night with Joey Reynolds (as a lead up to the rally), and a host of martial arts/MMA media sources including the most mainstream sports media source possible: ESPN. I would say that for a first public event, in the dead of winter, we made significant impact.

Having said that, the rally gave us an opportunity to get boots on the ground and meet/talk with the "man on the street", which did confirm what both Saccaro and I believe: That MMA is not nearly as known as we fans would like to think. Passers by who attended all or portions of the rally's speeches ranged from those in the know to those who had no idea was MMA was or though we were still bare knuckle brawlers...and everything in between (we distributed 600 fact sheets). In fact, the police officer who issued me our permit for the rally had no idea MMA was illegal in New York State. The rally was a clear indication of how far we do have to go in terms of mainstream education.

So, after noting that our rally had no affect in Albany (he never mentions who organized the rally), Saccaro then goes on to state:

"Perhaps the UFC is appealing too much to the government’s head and not its wallet."

Saccaro implies that the UFC was behind the rally and then suggests that the UFC is not paying enough attention to Albany's wallet. He can't be serious. Has he been paying attention?

Let's be clear about this: The UFC had nothing to do with the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY Rally. We would have loved to have had support from Zuffa, but unfortunately none was forthcoming despite invitations to the contrary. We were very pleased that Strikeforce and M1-Global offered their written support and presence at the rally (Frank Shamrock and Alistair Overeem). In fact, Strikeforce/M1-Global rescheduled their heavyweight grand prix public fan experience so as not to conflict with the rally. But, the rally itself recieved no financial or organizational support from ANY mixed martial arts promotional company.

After some hopeful (and accurate) thoughts about the expansion of the UFC and how it could possibly surpass current "ball sports" in the mainstream media, Saccaro concludes his article with:

Still, the UFC and the sport of MMA have a big mountain to climb. The legalization of MMA in New York is the next biggest step on that mountain.

Yes, legalization is a huge step to take in the world of MMA. And, the UFC certainly will play a big role in the process. They have the largest pulpit and the financial means that others do not. But, everyone has a role to play in this fight: The UFC, Strikeforce (now owned by Zuffa), M1, Bellator, and most of all...New Yorkers.

Without cooperation between ALL these groups we may not make it up the mountain. Our coalition represents New Yorkers who want MMA in New York. Without New Yorkers who are willing to get out and support the sport we love, all the lobbying, media coverage, and pontificating won't help.

It is us, the New York fans who have to get the job done. It is the New York fans who need to make appointments to see their local legislators. It is the New York fans who need to keep writing letters. It is the New York fans who need to keep making phone calls. It is the New York fans who have to keep correcting the record when we see misrepresentations in the media.

We are part of the team, the most important part of the team.

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY

West Virginia legalizes MMA while New Jersey sits saturated - implications for New York (edited 4/11/2011)

2011-03-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our brother and sister athletes in West Virginia who can now compete in front of hometown crowds!

On March 8th, the bill that would legalize and provide for regulation of the professional sport of mixed martial arts passed through the West Virgina House of Delegates despite some predictions of the opposite just days earlier. The West Virginia Senate passed the measure by a vote of 23-10 on Saturday, sending the bill to Governor Tomblin to be signed into law. Once signed into law, New York, Connecticut, and Vermont will be left standing alone in the dark as the remaining three states with athletic commissions that do not regulate MMA. Like West Virgina, New York is doubly problematic as MMA is unregulated AND illegal under old draconian law.

MMA is also unregulated in Alaska however, Alaska has no athletic commission to oversee such endeavors.

In Connecticut, movement towards regulation is underway. However, there is a thriving MMA community in Connecticut thanks to the Mohegan Sun Gaming Commission and the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation which both sanction and regulate MMA at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos. New Yorkers have no such consolation prize.

Compounding the problem for New York fighters, promoters, and MMA oriented business owners, is the fact that New Jersey (where the sport is legal and regulated) is saturated with MMA.

On September 30, 2000, New Jersey became the first state to host a regulated MMA show under the unified rules by sanctioning the International Fighting Championships. The Garden State made history again a few years later by becoming the first state to regulate amateur MMA. New Jersey became a beacon for New Yorkers who simply had to cross the border to practice and promote the sport they loved.

A decade later and the story is changing dramatically. As we learned at our Coalition round table meeting last month, New York based promoters are having difficulties in New Jersey and having their calendars pruned due to the inability of the New Jersey Athletic Control Board (NJACB) to handle the massive influx of MMA promotions setting up camp in the Garden State. In the case of Steven Katz (promoter of the Amateur MMA show "Evolution"), who requested 12 dates for his show in 2011, the NJACB approved 4. Katz was hoping for approximately 8 dates. Compounding the situation, Katz recently closed his Astoria, New York gym as he was out bid on the rent (recently raised by the landlord) by a larger chain gym. Katz (a New Yorker) has taken a significant hit on his potential 2011 income.
[editor's note: due to a misquote by the author, this paragraph was edited on 4/11/2011]

Most recently, Scott Morgan's amateur MMA promotion "New Breed Fighters" took a serious hit due to New Jersey's MMA saturation problem. Morgan's show was scheduled for April 16, 2011 at the Atlantic City Hilton. Approval was given by the NJACB, sanctioning fees were paid (and later refunded), the Hilton was backing the event, a billboard was posted along the Atlantic City Expressway, and promotional materials were distributed. In recent years "New Breed Fighters" has grown into one of the premier amateur shows with a reputation for having developed many of today's successful pro fighters, many of whom are from New York. According to Morgan, 40% of the fighters who have fought for New Breed during its 34 show history have been from New York. Some known pros who have stepped into the New Breed cage as amateurs include Jeff Lentz of The Ultimate Fighter, Sam Oropreza of Strikeforce, and Phil Davis of the UFC.

According to the Atlantic City Press, the NJACB backtracked on the pre-approved date to make way for a larger professional MMA promotion that wanted the same date at a different hotel to run its first Atlantic City show. The Board claims the cancellation is in part due to the fact that a professional show (which booked the date two months after Morgan) stands to bring more revenue into New Jersey. Whether or not this pro show (Caged Fury Fighting Championships) was able to demonstrate more revenue than a New Breed Fighters card has yet to be determined. Morgan notes that this was not the first time the NJACB has cancelled a show of his. Morgan publicly comments on the cancellation on his show's website.

Nicholas Lembo, deputy attorney general, noted that the NJACB's new cancellation policy was enacted on January 1, 2010 as a result of the massive influx of professional MMA shows wanting regulation in New Jersey. Lembo went on to say "You want a guaranteed date? Put on a professional show."

This sad situation highlights several trends regarding MMA and implications for the future of the sport in New York.

First, and in my opinion, most importantly, mixed martial arts needs proper regulation which protects the rights of professional AND amateur promoters and fighters when the sport is legalized in New York. No sport can grow without a thriving amateur circuit. This is where our future pros will grow, build their skills, and develop their art. To toss them aside as the NJACB has done in Morgan's case indicates a short sighted view of the development of MMA.

Second, the saturation of MMA in New Jersey and insufficient staffing to handle such growth indicates a clear need for regulation in New York. The flooding of MMA in New Jersey is in many ways directly related to the fact that MMA is not sanctioned in New York. Were we able to hold shows in our own state, we would not be putting on as many shows in New Jersey.

Third, New Jersey's saturation with MMA after just 10 years clearly demonstrates the economic benefits mixed martial arts could provide for New York State. According to Nicholas Lembo, the NJACB sanctioned 19 professional MMA and 20 amateur MMA shows in 2010 (and 5 Muay Thai shows). That's a grand total of 494 sanctioned bouts in 2010 (180 pro bouts and 314 amateur bouts). The HR&A financial impact study commissioned by the UFC estimates New York State could stand to make $16 million from two UFC events and $7 million from non-UFC mixed martial arts events annually. Some opponents of MMA in New York suggest that this is not enough to bother with in such desperate financial times. However, I suspect the HR&A figures grossly underestimate non-UFC impact and do not refer to amateur mixed martial arts events which would certainly flourish in New York as they have in New Jersey and other states. In 2010, New Jersey had nearly twice as many amateur bouts as professional.

In the end, regulation is an ethical issue in New York. MMA is a professional sport with a growing amateur presence and all professional sports require regulation to ensure the safety of the athletes.

Stephen Koepfer

Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY.

UPDATE: 3/15/2011

Nick Lembo responds to Amateur MMA cancellation

Albany Report: MMA Bill hits the ground running in the Senate (Updated 3/15/2011)

2011-03-12T18:21:00.000-08:00

Coalition member Justin Klein (the Fight Lawyer) reports in a recent article "Bill to Legalize MMA in New York Out of the Gate Early in the Senate":

To read Klein's full report, please visit The Fight Lawyer Blog

UPDATE:

The bill to authorize mixed martial arts in New York, overwhelmingly passed the Senate Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation, by a vote of 13-1 on Tuesday, March 15, 2011.

Read Justin Klein's full report here

I am happy to report that New York Senate Bill 1707A, i.e. the bill to authorize mixed martial arts in New York, is off to an early start in the Senate Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation.

Specifically, the bill is on the Tourism Committee Agenda for next week.

As you may recall from earlier posts, the bill is sponsored by District 47 Senator, Joseph A. Griffo, of Utica New York and originates in the Tourism Committee.

Last year, although the bill passed the full Senate in mid-June, it was not debated and referred, i.e. passed, out of the Tourism Committee until June--near the end of the legislative session.

For a discussion on what happens after the bill passes the Senate...

Show your support for New York MMA at Radio City Music Hall on March 16th

2011-03-11T09:04:00.000-08:00

In advance of the upcoming showdown between Jon Jones and Shogun Rua at UFC 128 in Newark, New Jersey, the UFC’s pre-fight press conference will be held at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday, March 16th at 12:30 pm. Admission is free.

The UFC will be giving away "Bring MMA to NY" t-shirts to the first 1,000 fans, so be there early if you can!

In addition to Jones and Rua, Dana White, Urijah Faber, Eddie Wineland, Yoshihiro Akiyama, and Nate Marquardt are all going to be there to help make sure Albany hears our voices loud and clear: New York athletes like Jones should be able to compete in their homestate!

Suuport our sport on Wednesday at Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, New York City.

NY MMA NOW! on NBC's "All Night with Joey Reynolds"

2011-02-21T11:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday, February 4th, Co-founders of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York, Stephen Koepfer (Head Coach/New York Combat Sambo) and Eddie Goldman (Journalist/No Holds Barred) appeared on "All Night with Joey Reynolds" on NBC New York Non Stop. Also appearing with Eddie and Stephen were Bradley Desir (New York Combat Sambo/MMA fighter) and Tyga Maclin (New York Combat Sambo's wrestling coach).

Correcting the Record: Alex Wolf of PressBox

2011-02-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

In his article, MMA Legalization Faces Long Road In Empire State, Alex Wolf describes the long road ahead in the battle for legal and regulated mixed martial arts in New York State. He accurately describes recent efforts including the UFC's press conference at Madison Square Garden and our historic February 8th rally in lower Manhattan (though he fails to mention who organized the rally). Wolf goes on to note that the long battle for MMA in NY has become increasingly challenging since Governor Cuomo has not included it in his 2011-12 budget proposal, surprisingly snubbing New York MMA athletes, coaches, fans, and the UFC despite happily taking nearly $75,000 of campaign lobby dollars from Zuffa.

But, that's where the facts end and the fiction begins.

Wolf goes on to write:

In 2010, the New York state Senate included a provision in the budget to legalize and tax MMA fights, but the provision was removed immediately after the death of a fighter during a professional bout in South Carolina. The potential for grievous injury disturbed lawmakers in New York, who were quickly able to reverse any momentum that would have helped legalize MMA.

This statement, while being factually incorrect, also makes a giant leap in terms of attributing the failure of last year's MMA legislation to the June 28th death of Michael Kirkham. The truth of the matter is that the Governor Patterson did include the legalization of mixed martial arts in his 2010-11 budget proposal. Furthermore, contrary to Wolf's assertion, 12 days prior to the unfortunate death of Michael Kirkham, The NY senate did pass legislation to legalize MMA on June 16th, 2010.

It was the New York assembly where MMA legislation hit its 2010 road block. After passing through the sports and tourism committee with a vast majority of support, the bill failed to make it to the general floor for a vote. According to former Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, co-sponsor of the bill and guest on Cage Radio, it was the vocal minority who spoke up in the assembly democratic conference where bills are reviewed. The assembly democratic conference is often used as a barometer by the assembly leadership (Speaker Sheldon Silver) to determine priority and importance of impending legislation.

According to Benjamin, the lack of assemblypersons willing to speak favorably in conference on the topic indicated to leadership that the assembly was not ready to legalize MMA in New York. As a result, on June 28th MMA was stripped from the assembly's budget language. While this was coincidentally the same day the Kirkham passed away, there has never been any indication that news regarding his unfortunate death made its way to Albany to affect the assembly leadership's decision. To suggest otherwise is quite a stretch.

Steven Englebright, co-sponsor of last year's bill and chair of the sports and tourism committee at that time stated that the MMA language was removed by the ways and means committee because assembly democrats could not agree on whether to include it. Regarding the topic of MMA in NY, he further stated "We did not vote against mixed martial arts, we just didn't have it before us to vote on."

In his article Wolf goes on to suggest:

Supporters of legalization will need to provide a comprehensive and accessible report to refute claims about the risk of fatalities and life-altering injuries for fighters. In Maryland, supporters demonstrated that the number of deaths from boxing and kickboxing dwarfs the number from MMA.

As if we have not been doing this for years. I find it infuriating that Wolf invokes the name of Michael Kirkham, yet fails to mention in any significant journalistic way how rare deaths in mixed martial arts actually are. Wolf, neglects the issue in his own soap box and suggests we do it for him instead.

Well, we in New York have done it and will continue to do it. Wolf fails to mention that Kirkham's death was only the second MMA related fatality in the United States, and only the third in the history of the sport. Furthermore, the first MMA related fatality was in fact not an MMA fatality. It was in an unregulated no holds barred (NHB) bout in the Ukraine. While MMA has its roots in NHB, they are two different animals. It is equally important to note that there has never been an MMA related death in any regulated A level mixed martial arts organization (in UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, Elite XC, or M1-Global).

Yes, it may be a long road to legalization in New York, but it is poorly researched press pieces like this one that will make the road longer.

Ringside Reports: Boxing's press notes idiocy of illegal MMA in NY

2011-02-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

UFC Illegal: The New York Idiocy. By Sean Farrell

This article, while being quite UFC centric, presents a well thought out argument in favor of MMA in NY. I suggest you read the piece with the following in mind:

MMA is bigger than the UFC. If you multiply the financial figures cited in the article to include Strikeforce, M1, Bellator, all the B level pro shows like Ring of Combat, King of the Cage, local shows, amateur shows, and the MMA community as a whole...the numbers would easily be in the hundreds of millions.

Furthermore, while the article states that no fighter has ever died in a sanctioned UFC bout, I believe no MMA fighter has died in any A level sanctioned shows including Strikeforce, Bellator, UFC, or M1. The bottom line, which is often missed in my opinion is that at it's core, MMA is a professional sport and needs regulation...plain and simple.

I would also add that while the author suggests that MMA should be legalized so the "everyday" person can train MMA, I need to remind everyone that everyday people already can and do already train MMA in NY...that is not illegal. But, those of us who fight have a tough time because MMA bouts are illegal. Similarly, the everyday people who train with us and support us are rarely able to see us fight as a result. And when we do fight, we are always the out-of-towner being rooted against by the locals we fight in front of.

Join Our Coalition!

2011-02-16T11:15:00.000-08:00

If you are a New Yorker and own an MMA gym, run an MMA oriented business, train MMA, or are just a fan take a few moments to join our coalition. All you need to do is post a reply to this thread with your name, where you reside in NY, your business or gym, and why you support the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY. We will start a new page here listing all our Coalition members!

Membership costs nothing! The Coalition is a non-partisan volunteer group dedicated to getting MMA legalized in New York State. You can be a part of making history. If you support our mission and want to be a part of it, reply to this thread! Subscribe to this blog and get on our mailing list by e-mailing nymmanow@gmail.com

If you want to go one step further, download our NY MMA NOW! logo and post it on your own website with a link to this blog.

Let's get the word out. This is not a petition. This is a statement that you support MMA in NY and will help the coalition get the job done!

Assemblyman Still Hopeful for MMA in New York

2011-02-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Madison Square Garden will have to wait, at least for now.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo did not include mixed martial arts in the budget he presented to state legislators on Feb. 1. However, State Assemblyman Dean Murray, who spoke in favor of sanctioning the sport when the UFC held a press conference at the historic arena on Jan. 13, said its exclusion may not be as great an obstacle as it would seem.

“Would we have preferred it being in there? Sure. What happens is this is the initial salvo by the governor, putting out his expectations,” said Murray. “And we go back, we hold the budget hearings and that’s when we end up having revenue enhancers. That’s when it gets introduced and negotiated into what could be the final budget. I’m still thinking this might be worked into the final budget that we end up passing.”

According to Murray, the final budget is supposed to pass April 1. If that deadline is not met, it should be “within the next few months.”

Read Tristen Critchfield's full story at Sherdog

The Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY has had the pleasure of working with Assemblyman Murray on this issue. Take some time to listen to the audio of our round table meeting two weeks ago at which Assemblyman Murray participated.

http://nymmanow.blogspot.com/2011/02/grassroots-grow-around-old-weeds-on.html

Assemblyman Bob Reilly linked to campaign contributions from national hotel union at war with Fertittas and Station Casinos

2011-02-15T12:20:00.000-08:00

New York State Assemblyman Bob Reilly has been a strong adversary to the legalization of mixed martial arts (MMA) in the state of New York.

For years, Reilly has been against the sport, saying the idea of legalizing MMA to help "The Empire State" financially is "a pretty horrific type of attitude and position to have." Reilly has also claimed to be opposed to MMA because of its "brutality," but there may be more to the story.

Hotel union "Unite Here" has engaged in an ongoing feud with the co-owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Station Casinos, owned by the Fertitta brothers Lorenzo and Frank, has been targeted by the union because it wants the staff at the Las Vegas chain of casinos to unionize and has accused Station of using threats against their staff members as a preventative measure.

In a move seen by many MMA fans as sour grapes, Unite Here has refused to support the UFC's road to legalization in New York. In fact, they have continued to lobby against it.

So, what does this have to do with Assemblyman Reilly?

In 2006, Reilly had 211 identified contributions. The second largest personal contribution came from Unite Here. Yes, the same Unite Here that currently has nine affiliates/local unions in the state of New York.

Sound fishy to you?

Read the full story by Fernando Quiles Jr. at SB Nation

Rosario Dawson speaks the word on MMA!

2011-02-10T12:12:00.000-08:00

February 8th rally makes history!

2011-02-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

On February 8th, 2011, the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York held its first public rally in lower Manhattan across the street from New York City's city hall. As the rally gathered in front of Sheldon Silver's district office at 250 Broadway it became clear that the day would be a successful one. The MMA media was there in full force as well as some mainstream media outlets and several film makers...

Get our full report here as well as media coverage, photos, and video from the rally heard around the MMA world

MMA founding father Fred Ettish endorses coalition!

2011-02-06T14:32:00.000-08:00

2/6/2011

To whom it may concern,

Please consider this letter of support in the cause for legalizing the sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in the State of New York.

Allow me first give you a brief background on myself. My name is Fred Ettish, I am 55 years old, and have been involved in the martial arts since 1969. I became directly involved in Mixed Martial Arts in March of 1994 as a participant in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 2 at that time. Since then, I have continued my pursuit of the many benefits and blessings that the martial arts have to offer, including the sport of MMA. I have sought out and trained with many of the leading practitioners of the sport; coached, trained, cornered, and mentored fighters; refereed, judged, and commentated for several promotions; and remained an avid fan and supporter throughout the growth and evolution of MMA.

I began in the sport of MMA when it was derided as "human cockfighting", "barbaric", "savage", etc., and when people still thought that death in a MMA (then "no holds barred/NHB") match was quite likely. All of those things have been proven false over the years. Everything starts from something, and I will grant you that at it's inception in this country, MMA/NHB was very raw, unrefined, and unencumbered by more than just a few rules. There were no rounds, no gloves, no divisions by weight class, etc. From that the sport has morphed into a much more refined, athletic combat sport. Although I do not have quantifiable data immediately at hand, I believe that there are less injuries, especially serious injuries, and deaths in our sport than in most any other. That is due to the safeguards that have been put into place, and the realities of how MMA is practiced.

If one takes the time to look closely at MMA on it's elite level, the skill, dedication, fortitude, athletic excellence, and demeanor of the the best of the best is truly amazing. To rise to the top, one has to have technical excellence in striking arts such as Boxing, Thai Boxing, Karate, etc., grappling arts such as Jiu Jitsu, Wrestling, and Judo, or any other related arts. The physical conditioning required is second to none. One needs physical strength, muscle endurance, cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, explosive power, and incredible stamina in all areas at the same time. All of these skills and attributes have to be seamlessly molded together in an intense, fast - paced, and rapidly changing environment.

Another much overlooked attribute of MMA is what it does for the practitioner's internal qualities. The most important battle is to not only overcome the challenges your opponent offers physically, but to overcome the fears and obstacles of ones' self. Incredible stress, fear, anxiety, and adversity must be faced and defeated. He/she must make instantaneous decisions and reactions under some of the most trying and challenging of situations. I do not like to use the term "warrior", as overuse cheapens such a magnificent title, but in many cases these combat athletes approach warriorhood. A warrior is not just a fighter, but one who fights with honor, respect, dignity and integrity to him/herself, the opponent, their schools, their teachers, their families, the fans, and society. Now I will readily admit that there are cases where we fall short, but everyone in every walk of life does. In MMA you will find people who strive to uphold those principles and represent themselves in these ways as much as possible.

I truly hope that you will strongly consider adding your great state to the long list of those who have legalized Mixed Martial Arts, form a qualified commission from people knowledgeable of the sport to regulate and monitor it, and give your citizens the opportunity to enjoy our great sport as practitioners and fans.

Thank you for any consideration.

Respectfully Submitted,

Fred Ettish

N. Kansas City, MO

New York moves to legalize mixed martial arts

2011-02-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Newsday
Published: June 3, 2009 3:43 PM
By KATIE STRANG

Mixed martial arts supporters just won the first round in a fight to legalize the sport in the state of New York.

The state Assembly's Committee on Tourism, Arts, and Sports Development voted 14-6 Wednesday to pass a bill that would enable the state's athletic commission to regulate the sport. The bill will now move to the full Assembly for a vote before the end of the current legislative...

Read the entire article here:
New York Moves to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts

Jon Jones steps up to the pulpit!

2011-02-05T09:50:00.000-08:00

UFC fighter and New Yorker Jon Jones steps up to the pulpit to defend the professional sport of mixed martial arts:

I was born in Rochester, raised in Endicott, Broome County, and won the New York state high school wrestling championship in Albany in 2005. As a mixed martial arts athlete with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, I would love to compete in front of the same friends and family in my professional career.

Unfortunately, I can't. New York is one of four states that doesn't allow MMA. Critics of MMA have claimed different reasons for opposing regulation. But as our millions of fans and anyone who has been paying attention knows, these claims don't hold up...

Read the entire essay here:
Democrat & Chronicle: Legalize mixed martial arts in New York. By Jon Jones

An easy way to let Cuomo know you want MMA in NY!

2011-02-04T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is the link to Governor Cuomo's NYS Connects web site
This is where you register to receive news updates from Governor Cuomo regarding various topics. He does have mixed martial arts on the list of topics. If Cuomo is flooded with people who register and request MMA news, he will know that this is an issue we care about!

Everyone take a few moments to log on, register, and request MMA updates. Let Cuomo know what you want!

Thanks to Michael Benjamin for the tip!

Grassroots grow around old weeds on the anniversary of MMA's banning in New York

2011-02-04T12:08:00.000-08:00

On February 7th, 1997 crew and fighters from UFC 12 stood on a tarmac in Buffalo, New York awaiting flights to Dothan, Alabama. The hasty evacuation left people in a scramble. Hotel rooms were abandoned and all non-essential gear was left in New York in order to expedite the quick trek to Alabama. MMA had been banned. Governor George Pataki had signed into law the legislation outlawing MMA in New York State. Nearly 14 years to the day that Vitor Belfort was set to make his UFC debut in New York, we are once again planning to watch him make another go at the UFC Title...and MMA is still illegal in New York.

On February 3rd, 2011, just shy of the anniversary of the banning of MMA in NY, the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York planted grassroots seeds intended to kill the 14 year old weed that strangles the sport in our own back yard. 13 pivotal members of the New York MMA community gathered at NY Combat Sambo for a round table meeting designed to begin planning our final assault (hopefully) on the antiquated prohibitionistic laws that ban MMA in New York State. The fight to legalize MMA in NY is not a new one. Various groups have been independently fighting the battle for over a decade in our state. However, this round table was historic. For the first time, formerly independent parties gathered together at one table to once and for all plan an attack that will bring MMA back to New York.

Notably absent were representatives of Global Strategy Group (UFC's marketing firm), Strikeforce, and M1 who had all planned on attending but, cancelled last minute for various reasons. Nevertheless, it was the roots of the NY MMA community who did attend...in force.

Round Table attendees included:

1) Assemblyman Dean Murray (R,C-East Patchogue): Ranking Minority member of the New York State Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development.
2) Kevin Malloy: Assemblyman Murray's Chief of Staff.
3) Kevin Morello: Office of Senator Lee Zeldin (R, C, I - Long Island). Co sponsor of the Senate MMA bill.
4) Justin Klein: Member of the NY Bar Sports Law Committee and writer for MMA Payout.
5) Peter Lampasona: MMA journalist, US Combat Sport and host of Cage Radio
6) Jim Genia: MMA journalist, Editor at Full Contact Fighter
7) Eddie Goldman: MMA journalist. No Holds Barred
8) Bruce Kivo. MMA journalist. MMA Confidential
9) Steve Katz: Queens gym owner/amateur MMA promoter.
10) Steve Kardian: Westchester gym owner, security expert, and national media consultant.
11) Stephen Koepfer: Manhattan gym owner, President of the American Sambo Association.
12) Paula Romero: MMA insider
13) Kahleem Poole: MMA Documentarian

The round table was a huge success and all parties left feeling confident, motivated, and well prepared to continue fighting this battle. Strategies were developed for our February 8th rally in lower Manhattan; how fans, students, and gyms can get more involved; how to better approach Albany; how to begin to correct the record in the media; and much more. It was made very clear that despite Governor Pataki's lack of support in his recent budget proposal, that this is a fight we can win.

To get you all up to speed, Eddie Goldman has posted the entire audio recording of the round table on No Holds Barred. I encourage EVERYONE to listen in and get to work! You can begin by showing up at our rally on February 8th.

Here is what some of the meeting attendees had to say:

New York Mixed Martial Arts Legalization Roundtable & Sports Law Committee Meeting

Assemblymen Murray and Englebright Say MMA Can Pass in New York with Correct Support

NYC MMA Legalization Roundtable Postscript

In the end, this round table session jump started the grass roots movement we desperately need in the state. Now, it is up to us to keep it going! Start by showing your support on February 8th at our rally!

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY

Thanks to Jim Genia for the pics!

UPDATE: Now we have a real fight on our hands!

2011-02-01T21:10:00.000-08:00

I have been saying for quite a while that dependence on lobby money alone will not get us legalized Mixed Martial Arts in New York. Many critics of our coalition have suggested that we simply sit back and let Zuffa's (the UFC) lobby dollars pave the way to legalization. I have been told that speaking out makes no difference. This apathetic viewpoint by many New York Mixed Martial Arts fans has been discouraging. However, there have been many others who have joined the fight and have made a commitment to get off their couches, move away from their televisions to ACT and try to make a difference in the battle for New York MMA. This is encouraging!

Today, we sadly learned that filling the wallets of our politicians won't necessarily get us what we want. Despite the best efforts by Zuffa to pad the pockets of our newly elected Governor Cuomo, today we learned that Cuomo appears to have no intention of supporting our sport at this time. Not only is MMA notably missing from his budget, but he proposes eliminating the salary of the Chair of the Athletic Commission. This would not only seriously threaten MMA in NY, but all combat sports.

Good friend of the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY, Justin Klein, comments on the situation here:
A Bad Day for Mixed Martial Arts in New York

Listen to No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman as he discusses the severity of this new turn of events!

Here is what the Fight Nerd has to say on the subject:
MMA Absent from New Yrok Governor's New Budget - All Combat Sports in Trouble!

Jim Genia's Blog on the subject

Suddenly, our February 8th rally in lower Manhattan has become much more critical.
Rally details here

Now more than ever, we need to let our legislators know that we want MMA in NY. Be there on February 8th to show your support!

Stephen Koepfer
Founder, Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

Coalition Co-Founders on "All Night with Joey Reynolds."

2011-01-29T14:53:00.000-08:00

Co-founders of the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York Eddie Goldman (Journalist/No Holds Barred) and Stephen Koepfer (Head Coach/New York Combat Sambo) will be appearing on "All Night with Joey Reynolds" on NBC New York Non Stop. Also appearing with Eddie and Stephen will be Bradley Desir (New York Combat Sambo/MMA fighter) and Tyga Maclin (New York Combat Sambo's wrestling coach).

The show airs on Thursday, Feb 3rd at midnight (Thursday night/Friday morning) and MMA discussion will take place in the second hour. Topics of discussion will include mixed martial arts, legalization, what the sport is and is not, and the future of the sport in New York. Brad and Tyga will be demonstrating some techniques live!

NBC NY Non-Stop airs on the following tri-state area cable channels:

UPDATED: The 2011 bills are here! Do your homework folks!

2011-01-26T16:17:00.000-08:00

The 2011 Senate and Assembly bills have been introduced. Take some time to read these bills and know what your are fighting for, what you want to support, and what you think needs improvement!

In the Senate:
Bill S01707
Introduced by: Senator Joseph A Griffo (R-C-IP, Rome)
Co-Sponsored by: Kevin S Parker (D-Brooklyn), Senator Lee M. Zeldin (R, C, I - Long Island), Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn), Parker, Avella, Gianaris (D, Astoria), Grisanti, Kennedy, Peralta
Read the Senate bill here

In the Assembly:
Bill A04146
Introduced by: Englebright
Co-Sponsored by: Bing, Hevesi, Peoples-Stokes, Zebrowski, Rivera J, Schroeder, Linares, Simotas, Moya, Murray.
Mltsponsored by: Boyle, Crouch, Curran, Katz, McKevitt, Rabbitt, Raia, Saladino, Wright
Read the Assembly bill here

Take some time to read Peter Lampasona's assessment of the new bills:
US Combat Sports: Senate MMA Bill May Change the Face of New York Combat Sports

Impending Coalition Roundtable Discussion Making Waves

2011-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

Roundtable Discussion may be Rallying Cry for New York MMA
By Peter Lampasona of US Combat Sports

This Thursday, January 27th, the Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York will be holding a round table discussion of New York area gym owners, members of the MMA community, and state politicians on the sanctioning of the combat sport in the Empire State. The purpose of the meeting is to open a dialogue for the expectations and concerns of interested businesses leading up to the pro-MMA rally in front of City Hall on February 8th....

Read the complete article here

Due to the NY Snow storm, this meeting has been re-scheduled for February 3rd at noon

No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman - MMA in NY!

2011-01-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

In this episode of No Holds Barred, Eddie talks about the history of MMA in New York, concerns regarding fighter safety, and the need to hit the streets for the professional sport we love at the Coalition to Legalize MMA in NY rally on February 8th! Also on the episode is an exclusive interview with Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva.

No Holds Barred with Eddie Goldman

Commentary: MMA Education Necessary!

2011-01-18T13:50:00.000-08:00

Good friend of our Coalition, Justin Klein, published an important assessment on the need to educate mainstream media as to what the professional sport of mixed martial arts actually is if we hope to affect voters, who in turn will affect our elected officials.

... I think there is room for improvement in the MMA legalization effort. Economic benefit to the state alone may influence some politicians, but it is clear that there has to be an understanding about the sport, the safety record, the regulations in place, the need to curb unregulated “underground” fighting in the state etc. within the local non-MMA media before we can expect the voters in New York to voice their support for the bill.

Read Justin Klein's entire article here at MMA Payout

I could not agree with Justin more. There are several recent examples of just how ignorant the mainstream media is when it comes to mixed martial arts coverage; and how disinterested they (the editors and writers) are in providing proper coverage, gaining the proper education, and doing the proper research. Of course there are exceptions, but the norm is not encouraging.

On January 13th, the UFC held press conference at New York's Madison Square Garden [see my editorial here]. As expected, the presser was packed with those in the know (the MMA media) as well as many reporters from the mainstream media. What resulted from the presser were several stories, news items, articles, etc., covering the UFC's press conference and the effort to legalize MMA in New York.

Let's look at some examples:

In this article by Carl Campanile of the New York Post, the headline reads MSG goes to the mat for ultimate fighting.

Once again our sport is labeled ultimate fighting. Nearly twenty years have passed since the birth of our sport, the latter decade of which has seen the near ubiquitous use of the unified rules with regulation in 44 states, and we still have to tolerate misrepresentation of our professional sport by writers like Campanile.

Our sport has a name. It is called mixed martial arts. Let me clarify something here once and for all folks, the Ultimate Fighting Championship is not the championship of ultimate fighting. It is the ultimate in fighting championships. The difference may seem semantic, but it is far from a minor point. The UFC is a brand, as is Strikeforce, M1 Global, Bellator, and many other smaller promotions like King of the Cage, Ring of Combat, Ring of Fire, etc. All of these brands represent the professional sport of mixed martial arts, not ultimate fighting.

Campanile's opening remarks go on to state:

The head of Madison Square Garden Sports said yesterday he's ready to spar with Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature to allow controversial professional cage fighting at The World's Most Famous Arena.

Here we are again at another educational moment. For the vast majority of people mixed martial arts is not controversial. Labels like these will never help to legalize the professional sport of mixed martial arts. I would argue that mixed martial arts in New York is far from controversial. In fact, most voters and fans are apathetic on the issue...as are most politicians unfortunately. The vocal opposition in Albany is exactly that...more vocal. They also happen to be in the minority. This is the type of coverage that the mainstream media willfully neglects so they may push their stories about "controversial" and mis-labeled sports so they can get more readers and hits on their websites.

Just as our professional sport is not controversial, it is also not called cage fighting. Again, the term refers to a particular venue in which the professional sport of mixed martial arts may take place. In fact, mixed martial arts can take place in a cage, a ring, or on a mat. According to last year's New York State Assembly Bill AO2009, the venue for mixed martial arts is described as follows:

Rings or Fighting Areas: No professional combative sports match or exhibition or training activity shall be permitted in any ring or fighting area unless such ring or fighting area has been inspected and approved by the commission. The commission shall prescribe standard acceptable size and quality requirements for rings or fighting areas and appurtenances thereto.

Not once is the term cage used to describe our sport's arena. The continued use of the term cage fighting is outright inaccurate and harmful. But these are issues that any good journalist should know if they take the time to research the topics they write about? Right?

Here is how New York 1 News covered the story:

"They call themselves ultimate fighters. But do these tough guys have what it takes to win in Albany and legalize the sport in the Empire State?"

and...

"Governor David Paterson proposed legalizing ultimate fighting as a way to raise money for the cash-strapped state."

and...

"Marist Poll conducted in January of last year found that 68 percent of voters don't want ultimate fighting legalized in New York."

Aside from inaccurate terminology, what bothered me most about this piece is the lack of balanced coverage. Once again, we hear the opposition's argument that the professional sport of mixed martial arts is too violent (in the form of Assemblyman Bob Reilly) with no counter argument. Yet, NY 1 failed to note the presence of Assemblyman Dean Murray, who spoke in favor of mixed martial arts.

Furthermore, where were the facts that establish the falsehood of these opposition positions? The only supportive argument given in favor of MMA legalization was New York State's need for the financial benefits of MMA regulation. So, the lay person is left with the message that the professional sport of mixed martial arts is too violent, but we should legalize it for the money.

In this coverage by New York Post reporter Megan Paznik we again see our sport labeled as ultimate fighting in Paznik's video. The opening line of her NY Post video is as follows:

Punching and kicking below the belt may bring jobs, money, and new sports entertainment to New York City and the state if mixed martial arts competitions are approved by the New York State legislature

Those of us at the press conference were well aware that Paznik had no knowledge regarding the sport she was sent to cover for the NY Post. The end result being a story that suggests mixed martial artists are dirty fighters (punching below the belt). Yet, what is more troubling than Paznik's story is the fact that the Post chose her to cover the press conference and what little editorial oversight they showed in approving the final video.

In the days since the presser Paznik has received quite a bit of flack from MMA fans for her poor coverage of the sport. And she does deserve some criticism for not doing her research on a story she knew she was not qualified to report on. However, in my opinion, it is the NY Post editors who deserve the lion's share of the blame for not caring enough about the story to send a qualified reporter to the scene. I would add that it was disappointing to see the loss of a great teaching moment by UFC President Dana White, who was questioned by Paznik while at the podium. White had a moment, in front of the cameras to actually teach a member of the mainstream press about the sport we love. He failed to act, and in my opinion, also shares some of the blame for the resulting NY Post video.

In the end, educating the main stream press is a huge effort that needs to be tackled. I have point out stories in the past where our sport has been misrepresented. As Klein points out in his article, the media needs to be educated if we hope to have voters get the right message.

Stephen Koepfer
Coalition to Legalize Mixed Martial Arts in New York

What!? Mixed Martial Arts has Virtues?

2011-01-16T07:36:00.000-08:00

In today's NY Daily News, Damon Young has written a great piece on the need for MMA's legalization/regulation in New York and the virtues of mixed martial arts. Yes...that's right...the VIRTUES of MMA.

It is not often that we see mainstream media outlets treating mixed martial arts with the respect and truthfulness it deserves; not the inaccurate spin that is unfortunately so common. So, please take a moment to read Mr. Young's piece and send it to anyone you know who needs some education regarding the sport we love.

Legalizing mixed martial arts in New York shouldn't be a steel-caged match. By Damon Young

Jason Statham on Mixed Martial Arts

2011-01-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

Everyone listen to this man!