New Yorkers Get Ready
Published by Jim Genia on May 7th, 2009 in Current Events

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When New York banned mixed martial arts back in 1997, things were bleak for fans of the outlawed sport. But time, a wealth of new rules and a lobbying push that would make Big Tobacco proud have put legislation repealing the ban on the table in both the State Senate and Assembly. Now, clairvoyants and oddsmakers alike foresee MMA cracking open this huge and enticing coconut – whose meat contains such savories as Madison Square Garden and countless other venues throughout the state – in late 2009. So what are some residents with stakes in the sport up to? And what will happen with them when the governor finally signs on the dotted line?

“I’ve been lobbying and sending letters to all the senators,” says Lou Neglia, a world champion kickboxer-turned-promoter whose Ring of Combat has been a stepping stone to the UFC for years. New Jersey’s Atlantic City has been ROC’s home since 2006 (with earlier events at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and all over the Garden State), but his Long Island-based Vengeance at the Vanderbilt shows were where fighters like Matt Serra, Pete Sell and Phil Baroni got their start. Neglia’s been counting the days until his promotional return. “I really think that a lot of these politicians were ignorant to the fact that there were new rules from the old ‘cockfighting’ days,” he says. “Why should I bring 3,000 spectators to New Jersey to a show when I could have those 3,000 here at a show in New York, spending money on cabs and feeding the local economy?”

What does the future hold for the one of the most established MMA promoters in the Northeast? “I’m already planning on doing two shows a year at the WaMu Theater in Madison Square Garden. Why should the greatest arena in the world not have the greatest sport in the world? I fought there in the main event in the main hall in front of 20,000, and to have fighters compete there again would be a dream come true.” Will he venture elsewhere in the state? Says Neglia, “The Garden will have my main shows, but there’s Nassau Coliseum, there’s the Capitale [in Manhattan’s Chinatown]. I’ll have shows at the Garden and I’ll have them at those other places, too.”

“While I am not actively pursuing the legalization of MMA in the state of New York, I would certainly welcome it,” says Justin Blair, who’s promoted over 150 boxing and kickboxing events in the Big Apple. His Friday Night Fights shows in Manhattan are popular and pack venues. Adding MMA bouts to his card would be a shrewd and logical step. “It is important that it be done correctly,” says Blair, “so I would like to see that the same care regarding the competitor’s welfare is considered as is the case with boxing. The NYSAC is a very good arbiter of determining fair matches and balancing the needs of creating a safe environment for the fighters while sharing the responsibility with the promoter. Under the conditions above I would certainly welcome the opportunity to add MMA to our line-up.”

Jason Roske, the owner of the magazine NY Martial Arts, has taken up the cause with a lobbying group called “MMA for New York”. “MMA for New York is a large group of schools, promoters and retail locations on Long Island and in New York City that are coming together as one voice to help the sanctioning of MMA in New York,” he says. “What sparked the idea was I was invited to a roundtable discussion with the New York State Assembly, UFC officials and local business owners to discuss how the sanctioning of MMA would help the New York economy. After the discussion, MMA for NY was born.”

How will sanctioning affect his magazine? “In regards to the sanctioning impacting my publication, as of June 1st NY Martial Arts will be called New York Mixed Martial Arts Magazine,” says Roske. “I have Matt Serra and his brother Nick and their two head trainers on the cover. I’m already headed in the direction of it only being a matter of time before the sanctioning goes through. My goals for the publication are to give the local talent the out to get exposure. All of the other MMA magazines are only focusing on fighters that have already made it. I am very localized in the sense that I will only do articles on fighters, schools and promotions in the New York area.”

And what of New York City’s long-running underground show the Underground Combat League? Is promoter Peter Storm keen on the impending legislation? “I was up until I heard the details as far as you having to be licensed to be an instructor and an 8.5% tax on shows,” says Storm. “But as far as the UCL is concerned, I’m all the way at the grassroots level. My next step is either top-of-the-food chain promoter or I keep it where it’s at. If I don’t like things the way it’s at in New York, I’ll move it somewhere else or shut it down. We’ll have to see.”

Does this mean the end of the road the five-year-old promotion? “It depends on the details of the bill and the red tape it takes to become a promoter,” he says. “The ideal situation is you have competent people running things in New York and you don’t have the red tape preventing people from promoting shows.”

Bills on the floors of both the Senate and Assembly bode well for all who’ve waited patiently for MMA’s return, and if Neglia, Blair, Roske and Storm are any indication, it’s time for New Yorkers to get ready.