Many Mixed Martial Arts fans across the world are excited about the New York assembly voting 113-25 to pass a bill to Legalize MMA, for New York has banned Mixed Martial Arts in its state since 1997 (MMA Fighting). New York was the last state in America that has banned the sport.

It is hard to comprehend the reasoning behind such decisions, because boxing and football are legal in the state, which have had life-altering conditions or death linked to their sports. MMA has never been associated to those situations.

Many think the real reason for MMA being illegal is because two UFC owners own Station Casinos in Las Vegas which puts them in a bad spot with the Culinary Workers Union. . Since they are a powerful union in New York, they demand to politicians that businessmen who use labor that is considered nonunion in other states cannot bring their business to New York. Dana White believes the MMA is banned in the Empire State because his partners “are the largest non-union gaming company in the country,” and the Culinary Union is against these companies.

Nevertheless, UFC fans will be craving for some big fights in the Big Apple. UFC stars such as Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar, and Chris Weidman are all from New York, so expect the UFC to create plenty of events with these fighters. Hopefully the first fight night in New York will be within a few months.

This decision is a huge economic move for the UFC since New York is a brings plenty of money to their sports teams. Many fighters will be looking to participate in New York fight nights now to make some more money.

MMA is becoming the fastest growing sport in the world and is in a great position to have events in the Madison Square Guardian. The UFC and many fans are looking forward to having their events in the Big Apple.