Fighting chance: Banned in New York for more than a decade, MMA could be on its way back
KJ Noons has been watching the domino effect. Earning a living as a mixed martial arts fighter, the expansion of the sport plays on his mind. And after half a dozen states regulated mixed martial arts (MMA for short) fighting within the last year, he can’t help but have an opinion on New York, a state close to his heart and one of the final holdouts.
‘Hey, it’s not for everybody,’ Noons said. ‘But there are obviously a ton of people up there who would really get excited. It’d be great for the economy out there and give the people something different and entertaining.’
But despite widespread popularity throughout the state, New York is still just one of six states (along with Connecticut, Vermont, Wyoming, Alaska and West Virginia) that have yet to legalize MMA events. Since 1997, MMA fans within the state have had to get their fix on the seat of their couch through pay-per-view. Those opposed to bringing it to the Empire State refer to the sport as ‘barbaric,’ ‘vicious’ and ‘ruthless’ and don’t want to see it regulated. Those in favor suggest a potential economic boost to stagnant New York cities like Syracuse.
Noons doesn’t see the problem. He considers himself a professional athlete, not some adrenaline junkie who likes to brawl. That’s what he says the detractors of the sport aren’t seeing.
‘Don’t get me wrong, it’s still a violent sport,’ Noons said. ‘But so is football. So is boxing. So is fake WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) wrestling — that’s got more violence than boxing and MMA put together. Guys jumping off (stuff) onto each other, bleeding all over, smashing beers off their heads, hitting each other with metal chairs. I mean, come on.’
Over the years, some of Noons’ close friends and teammates from the Northeast have been forced to re-locate to states where events are regulated. Training facilities are littered all over the state, but events have been banned for more than a decade.
And Noons isn’t the only one who’d like to see that changed.
‘Everybody wants to fight in front of their family and friends,’ Noons said. ‘Especially the community where they’re from. There are a lot of guys in the sport from New York who would love to do that. And the popularity of the sport has reached a point where it could really explode up there.’
Regulating New York
In January, New York Gov. David Paterson unveiled a state budget proposal that included a bill that would abolish the 13-year-old ban on MMA fighting in the Empire State as a way of aiding the state economy with an influx of revenue.
MMA supporters in New York figured legislation would inevitably be passed when the Committee on Tourism, Arts and Sports Development voted to send a bill to the state Assembly. Doing so would ultimately give the New York State Athletic Commission the power to legalize the sport. But nothing materialized, and legislation has yet to be passed.
Assemblyman Bob Reilly, D-Colonie, has stood in opposition of legislation to legalize MMA fighting in New York since it was first introduced to the State Assembly thee years ago. Since that time, MMA and its supporters have lobbied to get the sport legalized. But Reilly, who UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) spokesperson Julie Wood acknowledged as their biggest detractor, has fought hard to keep events out of the state.
‘How can you show kids and other people human beings fighting and beating on each other in a cage as they do in Ultimate Fighting?’ Reilly asked rhetorically. ‘And then say to them don’t do this? I just think violence begets violence, and that’s my argument against it.’
Wood disagrees. While she maintains that ‘it is a violent sport’ and ‘it’s not for everybody,’ she insists that MMA fighting has come a long way from its rebellious beginnings.
Wood points out that in 2001, MMA adopted a set of unified rules, protecting athletes from being seriously injured. MMA now has more rules in place than boxing. In addition, all but six states have regulated it based upon the inception of the safety precautions. That, she said, is reason enough to have it regulated in New York.
According to MMA, it’s no longer the same sport Sen. John McCain of Arizona once called ‘human cockfighting,’ because people are now generally more educated about the sport.
‘I think legislators do have certain misconceptions where they remember an older version of the sport that was sort of a free-for-all,’ Wood said. ‘Clearly that’s not what the sport is today, and anyone who watches it can see that there are lots of rules and regulations in place.’
Wood points out MMA’s impeccable safety record — there’s never been an injury more serious than a broke arm or a broken leg. The same cannot be said for other sports. Though Reilly disputes that.
Wood said part of the process is educating legislators of the safety regulations that the sport has introduced in recent years, as well as the influence on the local economy where regular MMA fights take place. The proposal means that legislation for the MMA fighting will become part of the annual state budget process, which was supposed to be completed by April 1 but is now in overtime.
‘It’s a new sport, and people are still getting used to it,’ Noons said. ‘There are a lot of rules now. There are a lot more rules in MMA than there are in boxing. But boxing is way more dangerous than MMA. In MMA there are some brutal knockouts, but it’s not like the repetitive punches you take in the face in boxing. But boxing is an old sport, something everybody grew up with.’
Boosting the economy
Legislation that regulates MMA fighting in New York could mean big things for cities such as Syracuse. UFC is quick to produce documentation proving that bringing MMA events to different cities has produced an influx of economic benefits.
Wood said that UFC has already begun communicating with arena owners in upstate New York and, because of the large MMA fanbase, supporters are eager to see the potential economic development that could come as a result of legalizing the sport.
‘UFC is wholeheartedly committed to brining their events to upstate New York, including Syracuse,’ Wood said. ‘UFC has committed to bringing a fight to upstate New York within the first year they are regulated. There is a huge fanbase in upstate New York and Canada, and we absolutely want to bring our events to those areas.’
On Nov. 10, 2008, UFC performed an Economic Impact study for upstate New York, using Buffalo as the example. The study found that a single UFC event in Buffalo would generate $5.2 million in total economic activity for the local economy — $1.7 million in direct event spending, $1.4 million in visitor spending and $2.1 million in indirect/induced benefits.
In addition, an event would produce substantial employee compensation, the study reports. Every UFC event requires a staff of 300, equivalent to the creation of 57 full-time local jobs, according to the Impact study. In turn, 57 local jobs inject another $1.7 million in compensation to the local economy. Wood said because of that, there is reason to believe Syracuse could benefit similarly.
Don Dutkowsky, a Syracuse University economics professor, believes so, too. He said that, from an economical point of view, any event that draws a large group of out-of-towners is good for the local economy. Dutkowsky points out that WWE brings events to the Carrier Dome on occasion and serves as a financial support to the area, as do the Great New York State Fair and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
‘If it’s a relatively unusual venue with fan support, it’ll likely draw people from outside the area,’ Dutkowsky said. ‘Then they’ll have dinner in or around Syracuse, and if it’s really popular, maybe they’ll book a hotel and stay overnight.
‘And that, in general, is argued to have economic impacts.’
For Dutkowsky, it’s quite simple. The more events that bring in crowds, even if it is for just one event every few months, it’s still likely to bring in revenue to the local economy.
Though the best venues for a positive economic effect are those that take place over a period of a couple days — such as the New York Jets N.F.L. training camp in Cortland — Dutkowsky said that one-night events could provide a strong boost as well.
‘In this economy, it would be hard for that type of economic opportunity,’ Woods said.
And for Noons, the fighter thousands of miles away in California, bringing MMA events to New York is more that just about economics. He’s seen that domino effect, and with it, the change of perception of the sport he loves.
‘This isn’t a backyard brawl,’ Noons said. ‘There’s a lot of rules, there’s always a doctor on had. This is a sport, and nobody wants to see anybody get seriously hurt.’
