Potentially ground-breaking news hit the MMA landscape Monday, as Bill S. 1707A was passed in the New York State Senate by a vote of 42-18. The proposed bill would essentially legalize the sport of Mixed Martial Arts in the state of New York.
In the old days, between the nut-punched practitioners of Joe Son Do to a certain Arizona state senator alluding to the sport as nothing but glorified "human cockfighting", it wasn't shocking to think that several major U.S. states could have outlawed such activities. However, in today's world, where the now strictly-sanctioned UFC has become one of the most lucrative cash-cows in all of sports, it seems bizarre to think that certain states -- especially one as culturally relevant as New York -- still abide by such archaic notions.
While this isn't the first time that this sort of movement has gone through the Senate -- comparable bills have passed twice before, only to bottom-out before reaching ratification -- it certainly marks a giant step in the right direction, not only for the sport of MMA, but also the stigma that is associated with it.
The UFC has long waited for New York to catch up with the times, pledging that two large-scale events will be held in the empire state within the first year of the sport's legalization.
The bill must now pass through the State Assembly via the Ways and Means Committee. Needless to say, the entire MMA world will be watching with great interest.