MMA Fighting Is Now Basically Legal in New York

Photo via Chris Weidman/Twitter

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that will legalize professional mixed-martial arts (MMA) fighting in New York, making it the 50th and final U.S. state to legalize the sport.

The bill already passed the State Senate, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo is fully expected to give it his blessing.

From there, the New York State Athletic Commission reportedly has 120 days to adopt official state guidelines for the sport.

Local Brooklyn politicians and business leaders came out as some of the bill's biggest proponents in the weeks leading up to the Assembly vote — not in small part because Barclays Center in Downtown Brooklyn is an obvious contender to host Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matches down the line.

State Assembly members approved the bill 113-25 after an hours-long meeting that inspired more than a few quotables from NYC electeds.

In perhaps the most controversial statement of the night, Rep. Daniel O'Donnell of Manhattan's 69th district reportedly called MMA fighting "gay porn with a different ending," and said he'd have to take a cold shower after the meeting. (O'Donnell, if it matters, is gay.)

Rep. Deborah Glick, of Manhattan's 66th district, also ruffled some feathers among MMA fans when she said, according to reports, that the sport was part of "the dumbing down of America," and that legalizing it would cause youth fight clubs to spring up in backyards across New York.

Rep. Jose Rivera of the Bronx, meanwhile, became an instant icon in the MMA community when he stood up and told his anti-MMA colleagues in a thick New York accent: "What are you afraid of? You afraid of violence? You're lucky you didn't grow up in the South Bronx like I did."

"I grew up in a violent society," Rivera said. "Don't preach to me. I got the scars on my head, on my body... so one day I could survive and be standing here and listen to you."

Professional MMA fights have been banned in New York for nearly two decades now.

Reporting on the Assembly vote, sports site SB Nation wrote that "for longtime followers of the story, Tuesday's events had an almost surreal quality, as many had assumed legalization in the state to be a lost cause."