UFC Executive: New York Assembly denying vote on MMA bill is "un-American"

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC is understandably unhappy with New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver's decision not to bring to a vote the current bill to legalize MMA in the state. News broke on Monday that the Assembly once again would not bring the bill to a vote, killing legislation on the sport in the state for yet another year.

Marc Ratner, the UFC's vice president for regulatory and governmental affairs, says it's ridiculous that it hasn't even been put to a vote; and whether it gets passed or not, a vote is what the UFC believes the sport deserves.

"I'm unhappy," Ratner said in comments made to the Albany Times-Union. "I know we have the votes, but to not, in baseball terms, get an at bat is patently unfair and un-American."

Regardless of how the UFC feels, the bill is effectively dead in New York, and there will be no MMA in the state at least until next year.

Penick's Analysis: The politics in the state of New York right now are really disappointing, but not at all surprising. Silver hasn't himself supported the sport in the past, and because he has the final call here on whether to bring the bill for a vote, it's died year after year. Not allowing it to come to a full vote is ridiculous, and has been ridiculous, but it seems no matter what lobbying gets done by the UFC on the issue, there continues to be little progression on this front. It's hard to say what can be done, but the UFC and proponents of the sport are certainly growing even more frustrated in the situation.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_13230.shtml

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