Issue 074

April 2011

With men like Brian Stann entering mixed martial arts, why is the sport still struggling for mainstream acceptance in New York State? Could you find a more honorable chap than Stann in society? An officer and a gentleman, Stann attended Naval Academy, played linebacker for the Navy football team, and as an officer in the Marines, led a platoon on two intense combat tours in Iraq, earning the Silver Star medal for gallantry. How is it that hearts and minds are still having to be won to gain acceptance in Albany? Nonetheless, it’s Groundhog Day for Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs, entering a third hard-fought year aiming to gain legalization in New York.

A fan rally at Madison Square Garden in January, with a news conference there to discuss the economic windfall that a mixed martial arts event would deliver to the cash-strapped state, upped the ante. Ratner has also been in Albany recently to meet with Assembly and Senate members. New York appears to be the final frontier, the touchstone, for MMA acceptance. In 2010, support for the legalization of MMA in NY came from Governor David Paterson and former Governor George Pataki. Legislation was approved by the Senate, yet not by the New York State Assembly. Twice, however, state legislature has prevented a proposed law to legalize and regulate MMA from going to a vote. MMA abolitionist Bob Reilly was at the heart of it. His re-election to the state assembly, and his procrustean, polarizing views on violence of combat sport and its effect on society will be used to influence members of the state’s Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development against legalisation. The Speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, has also been re-elected, and is reportedly aligned with Reilly. 

An ally for MMA is incoming Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. However, re-elected Tourism chair Steve Englebright, a Democrat who has sponsored previous MMA legislation, has stated his party needs to resolve its misgivings about the sport before it opens a bill to a floor vote. That could prove to go either way. It could be another long, hard climb for MMA in 2011. But the summit has to be reached. 

Single-elimination perfect call for Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix 

Credit to Showtime, Strikeforce and M-1 Global for creating an eight-man world grand prix heavyweight tournament. Laudable – and generating serious interest from fans. The question of who is the best heavyweight fighter in mixed martial arts is debatable given the dividing lines between the promotions in existence. The organisers have learned from issues arising in Showtime’s Super Six Classic, pitching six leading super-middleweight boxers against each other in a round-robin format. Two have retired, one is injured and we are still at the semi-final stage. It will also take two years to play out. It means drafting new men in, and although the last man standing is clearly the winner, it is too lengthy. Last year there were still those in the MMA community claiming Russian, Fedor Emelianenko (32-2, 1 NC) was the world’s best. He had dominated the sport with 28 consecutive victories. Fabricio Werdum (14-4-1) ended that last year. Both men are in it, with Andrei Arlovski (15-8), Josh Barnett (29-5), Sergei Kharitonov (16-4), Alistair Overeem (34-11), Brett Rogers (11-2) and Antonio Silva (15-2). With the first phase set for February 12th, the second phase, rumored for April, will soon be confirmed. If they can have the tournament completed by late summer, and get television deals worldwide for it, hats-off to Strikeforce.

Australia sets record with appetite for fights 

Historically, Australia has been a hotbed for team sports not combat sports, but MMA is booming there. The Acer Arena, Sydney, sold out of 18,400 tickets in 15 minutes for UFC 127, the fastest sell-out of an arena in UFC history. There are plans, I understand, to set up a satellite Australia versus England series of The Ultimate Fighter Down Under. A grand idea. They could call it ‘Ultimate Ashes’. Given the fact that Australia and England are natural rivals and have been for over a hundred years in cricket and rugby, a TUF series could generate serious interest.