Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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

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.

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