It’s been a long battle but the UFC is getting a little closer to bringing Mixed Martial Arts to the state of New York.
Promotion Company Ultimate Fighting Championship, are celebrating their 20th year in the sport and are desperate to turn the state’s law which banned MMA back in 1997. The only state to frown upon the sport, UFC took NY to court back in 2011 to try and get the banning overturned. First filed in November of that year on the grounds that the state’s ban is unconstitutionally vague.
NY in a State over Legalising MMA
UFC argued that it violates fighters’ First Amendment right to free expression amongst other reasons and were almost all dismissed by U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood, except one.
A claim that the state’s ban violates the Constitution by being overly vague, which has led to inconsistent interpretations over whether amateur bouts are allowed. This meant that the trial could allow the lawsuit to head to trial.
UFC chief operating officer Ike Lawrence Epstein hailed Wood’s ruling telling Yahoo Sport, “We always felt from the very, very beginning that far and away our best claims and the claims we had the most likelihood of success on were the claims relating to vagueness.”
It is unlikely the UFC will be headlining Madison Square Garden in the next year, but they have taken small steps forward in what could also be a lucrative deal for the state.
Since its inception in 1993, UFC has become a huge part of the MMA industry, worth an estimated $2 billion and has toured the globe selling out arenas in the UK, Australia and the Middle East as well as being a huge box office hit on U.S television. In 2012 the UFC had 5.7 million pay-per-view viewers across 13 events, whilst the average 5.7 million viewers that watched the Velasquez versus dos Santos fight on Fox back in November 2011, was the highest watched combat event since Lennox Lewis’ fight against VitalyKlitschko back in 2003.
A huge hit on the television, it’s also attracting crowds around the NY state borders. Almost 13,000 packed into the Newark Prudential Center in New Jersey to watch New-Yorker Jon Jones back in 2011. He has since gone on to become one of the company’s main draws, growing up in a city, which seemingly loves UFC.
A study taken in 2012 showed that 50% of sport-watchers regularly or occasionally watch MMA and alongside UFC betting becoming increasingly popular, with IntenseGambling.com showing just how many opportunities are available, it could provide the state with a substantial extra source of income.
Big fan events are regularly held in New York City and should they bring championship events to the Big Apple, it could generate more than $68 million in economic activity per year alongside a state-wide expansion of UFC Gyms which would generate an added $67 million by 2017.
Whether Madison Square Garden will ever be blessed with a Jon Jones homecoming show is unsure, but with statistics proving it could be a major draw, and the sport now safer than ever, it wouldn’t be surprising if the cages are set up within the next few years.
