Brian Alves

MED 3000

Actuality Assignment

The sport of mixed martial arts has become increasingly more popular over the last few years.

Originally confined to smaller venues in the state of Nevada, they have branched out to more and

more diverse arenas not only throughout the United States, but as well as throughout the world,

including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and more. However, there is one place

where MMA (mixed-martial arts) has yet to been legalized, and that is in the great state of New

York. Dana White, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has long been

fighting to get the sport legalized in New York. White has stated in a press conference earlier this

year that 2 events alone would generate 23 million dollars in revenue, as well as create 200 jobs

annually. But why are they unable to accomplish their goal? Kean University student and avid

MMA fan Chris Alcaide weighed in his opinion:

(Chris)

In Cue: “I think that the governors and legislators are old fashioned . .”

Out Cue: “ . . . which barely had any rules compared to today.”

And the sport has indeed come a long way since the original days, where former senator John

McCain called it “human cockfighting”. But what is the real problem in legalizing the sport?

“That’s a great question, and honestly I can’t answer it” said Dana White in the press conference

held at Madison Square Garden. If safety is the issue, then it should not be much of a concern,
considering that no deaths or major injuries have occurred in the 20+ years that the sport has

been around. When fighters have concussions, they are prohibited from any physical contact for

at least 3 months. In football and other sports, at least 60% of the time a player who suffered

from a mild concussion gets back into the game 15 minutes later. “There is absolutely no reason

why we shouldn't be in the state of New York,” said White. “ I'm not frustrated, but a little

baffled," Whatever the end result may be, the UFC, along with the lesser known promotions will

keep fighting, in and out of the ring.