A fighting chance

Champ tours upstate in a bid to bring MMA to NY

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Former mixed martial arts champ Chris Weidman last month brought some muscle to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s campaign to legalize the competition in New York state. Weidman, who was raised in Baldwin, joined officials from the UFC on an upstate tour.

New York is currently the only state in the union to outlaw MMA competition, and supporters have been seeking to have the ban overturned for years. This year, some believe they have a realistic shot at it because of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s initiative to legalize the sport.

Specifically, Cuomo is seeking to authorize amateur and professional MMA bouts. He indicated that the matches would be supervised by the state Athletic Commission or an alternative authorized agency, and that the state would institute firm controls on the matches, the participants and the promoters to ensure the protection of the fighters as well as fans.

“Albany was great,” said Weidman, who lost his UFC championship in December to Luke Rockhold. “I’ve lobbied there before. It’s different this time. The governor is going to put the MMA in his budget. This is a huge thing for us. There’s hope for a stand-alone bill.”

Weidman said he believed the time was right for a bill legalizing the competition in New York state. “There aren’t too many people against it for any real reason,” he said. “For a while people were saying it’s too brutal.” But, he added, if the state regulated the sport, it would be safer.

Although MMA is legal at the amateur level, Weidman said, it is not regulated. “There are no doctors, no insurance, no blood and drug tests,” he explained. “If you’re injured in a fight, you’re on your own. It’s very unsafe. If you get it legalized, there’d be doctors and commissions, and it would be done the right way, the legal way.”

Efforts in Albany to legalize MMA are being spearheaded by upstate Republican Sen. Joseph Griffo, assistant Senate majority whip. “This legislation would allow New York to bring significant economic opportunities to our state,” Griffo said on his legislative website. A bill was co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Jack Martins of the 7th District, which includes Franklin Square and Elmont.

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