The Battle to Bring Mixed Martial Arts to the Empire State
In the 1990s, celebrated boxing enthusiast Senator John McCain stepped into the ring to do battle against another combat sport. He denounced what was then called extreme fighting as “human cockfighting.” He argued that unlike the sweet science, the nascent sport was barbaric and should be banned outright. At the time, he was perhaps correct.
The earliest event, staged in November of 1993 and aired on pay-per-view, was advertised under the tagline: “There are no rules!” The concept was to hold a tournament which would prove which fighting style was most effective (for example, who would prevail if a boxer fought a karate master). The only way a match could end was by knockout or submission. There were no weight classes, which was underscored by the very first fight of the tournament. The bout pitted a sumo wrestler against a kickboxer, the latter of whom was able to prevail in just a few seconds despite his distinct size disadvantage by kicking his opponent’s teeth out.
This was savage fare, granted. But since those days, “extreme” fighting has evolved into a legitimate sport known as Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA. The premiere promoter of MMA is an organization called Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). The UFC has become a billion-dollar global brand. The UFC has been the focus of two CNBC documentaries and has inspired a book of fine art photography. It does brisk sales in t-shirts and other apparel, and even lends its name to a franchise of gyms.
Much of the credit for this turnaround belongs to Dana White, a brash and tough-talking ex-boxing promoter who is the UFC’s president. White, himself a fan of the UFC, heard that the promotion was for sale back in 2001. He convinced his high school friends the Fertitta brothers — who just happened to own the Station chain of Las Vegas casinos — that they should buy the sagging brand. They boosted the public image of the sport by creating a rigorous set of rules with emphasis on competitor safety. They worked with state sanctioning organizations like the Nevada State Athletic Commission to institutionalize these rules.
With this enhanced credibility came new opportunities for expansion. These included a basic cable reality show and sponsorship by mainstream companies like Bud Light, Burger King, and Harley Davidson. The brand grew to the point that one of the Fertitta brothers left the casino industry to focus on what had been a side business. And business has been good for all. Rival MMA promoter Strikeforce, for example, televises matches on CBS.
Despite the evolution of MMA into a highly sanctioned sport, it is still illegal in several states. The largest of these holdouts is New York, where MMA has been banned since the bad old days of 1997. Dana White, aided by some of his most notable fighters, has been lobbying the state to legalize MMA for years. Despite coming tantalizingly close, the ban has yet to be lifted. But the numbers are on White’s side. An economic impact study he commissioned shows the tangible benefits New York is missing out on to neighboring states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which do sanction MMA. Premiere sporting venue Madison Square Garden has openly expressed its desire to host the UFC. None of this is lost on embattled Governor David Paterson, who has proposed legalizing MMA as a way to raise revenue for his cash-strapped state.
Standing in Paterson’s way are those such as Assemblyman Bob Reilly, an upstate Democrat who chooses to remain blithely ignorant on the subject of MMA. Reilly sent a letter to the state assembly speaker asking for the removal of MMA legalization from the budget. He opposes the sport ostensibly because legalization would contribute to a culture of violence. He casts himself as a moral crusader, frequently citing examples of violence against gays and women, and stories of schoolyard bullying, though he fails to offer any links to MMA.
Is this an infomercial? Was money paid by UFC to have this written or published?
No.
Roy,
I wrote the piece as a devoted fan of mixed martial arts with no agenda other than to propogate a sport that I love. I am in no way connected with the UFC, though I wish I was. You will find that there are many thousands who share my outlook. If you have any questions about this piece, or the great sport of mixed martial arts, I am happy to answer.
Thanks Bill. I saw you job was Media Consultant and… maybe I should turn down the cynicism.
Or, on the other hand, maybe you should make sure you get paid for this kind of stuff?
I suspect it’s boxing interests that are holding up licensing in New York.
There is a hypocrisy regarding violence as a part of sports in this society. Many of the MMA fighters started out by participating in high school and college wrestling programs. Many children, as young as 4, participate in local martial arts programs in their community. Some MMA athletes also have a history playing football which is arguably the most popular sport in America. Fighting in hockey is considered a part of the game, as is clearing a batter off the plate in baseball. The majority of MMA competitors are athletes. Even one of the more difficult personalities regularly participates in triathlons. An organization can determine what type of fighter they choose to employ and I can decide if I want to watch that fighter or organization. No one is forcing people to go to an MMA event, but those who live in states where it remains outlawed should be able to make the choice for themselves.
Now that I’ve been watching MMA, boxing looks insane to me. A boxer gets knocked down – and he has 10 seconds to stand up – maybe with a standing 8-count – and continue to be beat about the head. No wonder old boxers are punchy.
In MMA, if a fighter is knocked out or ever stunned for a second, the fight is over.
I’m a huge boxing fan, and have been since I was a small child. One of my early memories of the sport is watching the fight where Ray Mancini killed his opponent on wide world of sports. While I am not a fan of MMA, my personal opinion is it does not compare to the sweet science, it’s long past time it was legalized.
Patrick,
You should check out some MMA matches if you haven’t lately. You might be pleasantly surprised. These days, a successful MMA fighter at the top level has to be so well trained and multidimensional, it’s hard to believe. I will concede that the striking is not always as crisp as top level boxers, but then these guys also have to contend with expert level ground fighting as well. Gone are the days when an MMA match looks like two guys in a bar brawl, a criticism I’ve often heard from boxing fans. A rumored match is in the works between Randy ‘The Natural’ Couture and James ‘Lights Out’ Toney. While neither are in their prime, the match would not be a cakewalk for Toney. Of course, I appreciate that MMA just might not be your cup of tea. Dana White is always the first to admit that he is a fan of boxing (though disappointed with its current direction) and that there is room for more than one combat sport to compete.
Sports exist in the corporate order to provide the working class something they can both apply their intelligence to as well as live vicariously through since they are cut off from the political process and have no real power over their own lives. However, the popularity of a sport as brutal as this one is indicative the workers are getting angrier as the corporate pigs turn the screw of oppression tighter. I wonder if any of the capitalists who sponsor this site see the sign of a potential explosion in MMA?
Not the sort of response I expected to my piece, but thank you for your comment. While I myself am an avowed capitalist, I think perhaps you’re reading a bit too much into the political significance of sports. Humans are social animals, and as such we seek out diversions of all kinds. The desire for a man to test himself in combat with another man is a very old one that predates any given political system. The desire to spectate such an event is only natural as well. If these fights were spilling out into the streets, maybe your thesis would have some traction. But MMA matches are highly sanctioned. If anything, this is an affirmation of our ordered and civil society.
You might be interested to know that a notable competitor, Jeff Monson, has political views that are probably much closer to yours than most of the people who read this blog. But I suspect that both you and Jeff will be waiting a loooooooong time for your revolution. In the meanwhile, why don’t you tolerate us our sports, just as we tolerate your somewhat fanciful political views.
Help help! I’m being repressed! Come see the violence inherent in the system! Come see the violence inherent in the system!!
Apostle, you’re always good for a laugh. Is it possible people just like the sport?
Patrick
As we were preparing for knockout fights in Ashville,
our great state of North Carolina banned kickboxing and knockout karate.
Several of my students had won kickboxing/knockout contests.
As of 1999 we had suffered only one broken arm and to my knowledge no one in the sport has ever been killed.
Below is a short list of those that have died watching racing cars in North Carolina.
1999- Lowe’s Motor Speedway and officials are
“investigating how a tire and debris” from an accident passed over a 15-foot
fence into the grandstands, killing three spectators and
injuring eight,” The deaths of 21-year-old
Randy Dale Pyatte, 32-year-old Jeff Patton and 41-year-old
Dexter Barry Mobley were the first deaths in the track’s 40-
year history. While seven of the eight injured fans were
treated and released from area hospitals, nine-year-old
Hailey McGee remains in critical condition with head and
lung injuries.
Randy Dale Pyatte lived 3 miles from my home and I knew his family.
Three other spectators were also killed at other races that year.
Below is a list of 325 race car drivers killed-
many others died racing other vehicles- motorcycles, dragsters etc..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Racecar_drivers_killed_while_racing
And they banned our sport because it was considered dangerous?
My dad was one of the spectators killed at a race. As the anniversary approaches I usually find myself looking online for articles or ……..anything that would help to keep the memory of him and the other fans that died that day, alive. I know it’s been a long time, but when I googled my dad’s name your comment came up. It’s nice to know that somebody still thinks of them and reminds the world of their senseless, untimely deaths. Thank you.
Bill:
I would like to point out one inaccuracy in your article. You wrote that Dana White and the Fertita brothers compiled and instituted the rules that MMA adheres to today. This is not correct. The unified rules were created while the UFC was still owned by Bob Meyrowitz. In fact, when Meyrowitz tried to get the UFC sanctioned in Nevada his proposal included use of the unified rules. His application was turned down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, on which one of the Fertita brothers sat at the time. Soon after Meyrowitz sold his the UFC to the Fertitas and they made it into a very successful business.
Matt,
Thanks for correcting the record. As a fan, I know all about the “Zuffa Myth.” I wrote this article with the total newcomer in mind, and as such used a bit of shorthand. I didn’t mean to perpetuate the inaccuracy, and of course Meyrowitz deserves much respect for his role in the history of MMA. (And PPV television in general.) I hope you enjoyed the piece otherwise and appreciate the feedback.
Please join the thousands of New Yorkers at MMAFacts.com who have called, written or emailed their State Senators and Assembly members and asked them to bring MMA to NY.
Please follow the link below to email your NY Representatives to urge them to legalize MMA in New York State.
http://www.mmafacts.com/contactyourlegislator
You can also make an impact by joining us on our Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=56602878328&ref=ts
Thank you!
Robin
warren@mmafacts.com
http://www.mmaweekly.com/absolutenm/templates/dailynews.asp?articleid=3119&zoneid=13
Check your facts on the history of the rules.
Check out the link to help you write a more accurate article next time.
The Zuffa myth rolls on.
Neither White nor Fertitta had anything to do with creating a rule set for the sport.
For the several of you who have called me out on perpetuating the Zuffa Myth, thanks for your feedback. As I said to Matt above, I wrote this article mainly to expose an unfamiliar group with our sport and the plight it faces in New York. While I appreciate the fact checking, the article wasn’t really written for the hardcore fan who would be interested in sorting out the vagaries of what Zuffa may or may not have done. So I stuck to the version of the story that is generally accepted by the mainstream media, using it as a sort of shorthand.
I wrote the piece to help, not hurt MMA, and I hope that we can stick to the real issue at hand, which is increasing the chances that the sport is legalized in New York.
I find MMA a lot more compelling and entertaining to watch than boxing, and it actually appears to be less, not more, brutal.
The innate, atavistic need of many of us humans (especially guys) to watch this kind of stuff may be unsettling to some, but it is better to have an outlet for it than to suppress it.
Glad to see there’s a pro-MMA lobby at PJM. I used to watch the early UFCs going back to #2, but when they started adding weight classes, rounds, rules, etc. it actually turned me off at the time. I didn’t think of it as I wanted to see blood, but I thought they were going to nanny it into something lame.
Looking at what mma has evolved into the last few years though, I have to admit I was wrong back then. Not only are mma fights not boring now, they are as exciting or more so than ever. I am amazed at the leap in skill level of the fighters between the early days and now. Not only are fighters more versatile, but they are in the aggregate more proficient in every discipline (BJJ, wrestling, muay thai, etc.) than they have ever been. You cannot watch a high-level mma fight at the present time, and know what you are seeing, and truthfully still think that this is just thugs brawling. The best fights really are a “kinetic chess match”, as you said.
The changes that culminated in unified mma rules have made a sport that I liked to begin with even better. I am also glad you make respectful reference to the pioneers of mma, such as Royce Gracie. Thanks to him, and some others like him, there was honor, class, and not least technical proficiency even in the days when mma was a no-rules “bloodsport”.
Martial arts are more and more commercial and intrsting for people to train. We can training with boxing pads which are one of the most effective typse of traing for all martial arts.
This battle is still going on, if mma gets in new york that will be huge step for mma.