On Tuesday, March 6, the Coalition to Legalize MMA in New York and Madison Square Garden will bring a full day of events to support the legalization of live Mixed Martial Arts in the Empire State. The festivities will start at 11:30 AM, where the Coalition will host a rally for the sanctioning of professional MMA in front of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Manhattan Office at 633 Third Avenue in the heart of lower Manhattan.
Governor Cuomo’s official endorsement of the sport is considered by many to be a slam dunk for Coalition forces looking to see live MMA in New York by the end of this legislative year. Among the confirmed speakers at the event are former New York State Assemblyman and co-sponsor of the Assembly MMA bill, Michael Benjamin and co-owner and President of Atlantic City-based Cage Fury Fighting Championships, Rob Haydak.
After the rally, the action moves to the New York sports staple Madison Square Garden. The Coalition, in association with Madison Square Garden and TaKe On Productions, will host a free MMA documentary film festival. Media and fan Q & A sessions with the Director and Producer will follow each film.
The MSG film festival will include the world premiere of “In Her Corner: The Inside Story of Women’s MMA.” The film features interviews with Munah Holland, Bjorn Rebney, and Roxanne Modafferi regarding the promotion and growth of women’s MMA.
Also on the docket will be the Manhattan premiere of “New York Mixed Martial Arts” about the battle to sanction MMA in the Empire state featuring interviews with Bas Rutten, Josh Barnett, Frank Shamrock, and many New York-based MMA personalities. The fesitival will end with the New York premier of the new MMA documentary “Fight Life,” featuring interviews with Jake Shields, Miesha Tate, Nick Diaz, and Big John McCarthy.
This will mark the second time a rally has been held in support of MMA’s sanctioning in New York. Last year’s rally came at a time of enormous support for the sport, both among the public and the legislature. Ultimately, in spite of several landslide voting victories for MMA in the State Senate, the bill that would legalize live events was defeated via a stall tactic from Assemblyman Herman Ferrell in the eleventh hour of the legislative year.
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Jim is a long time journalist and author of "Raw Combat: The Underground World of Mixed Martial Arts," which is a rare, often humorous, and intimate glimpse into the world of New York Mixed Martial Arts (MMA). It is a love letter to the sport and community he has covered since the beginning. For me, it was a walk through memory lane. Reading about longtime friends, gyms, and events past and present often brought a smile to my face or heaviness to my heart (RIP Paul Rosner and Gene Fabrikant). New York, where MMA competition is still illegal, is a time capsule. Jim Genia is a historian.
