The New York State Assembly ended its session Thursday night without taking up the bill that would legalize mixed martial arts, the Daily News reports, keeping MMA illegal in the state until at least the next legislative session. The State Senate voted in favor of legalizing MMA earlier this month, and Governor Cuomo said he would be willing to sign the bill if the Legislature approved it. But the Legislature has gone on vacation without getting around to it, which happened in (at least) 2012 and 2013 as well.
“This is the closest we’ve ever been,” UFC vice president Ratner told the Daily News. “But we’re a fighting organization and we’re going to keep fighting. We’re not going to give up. It’s still a question of when, not if.” He’s probably right; New York is now the only state where pro MMA is still illegal. Eventually, the Assembly’s apathy toward MMA will shift from “we didn’t get to it” to “fine, people are into this, approve it.”
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