| NBC REPORTS - UFC aims to run New York, Chicago within 18 months |
By Mike Chiappetta
NBCSports.com
Updated: Feb.7, 2007, 3:40 pm ESTSo far in 2007, the UFC has held events in Las Vegas and Florida, and has matches scheduled for Columbus, Ohio; Houston Texas; and London. And its sights are set on several other locations that have yet to host mixed martial arts events.
The UFC is currently in the process of helping to introduce legislation into Illinois and Michigan that if passed, would allow the organization to run events in major cities like Chicago and Detroit. And New York isn’t far behind, either. The organization is actively involved in working with New York lobbyists and legislators to get the sport approved there, opening up the opportunity to run fight cards at arenas like Madison Square Garden.
UFC hopes to bring stars like the charismatic "Rampage" Jackson to more fans in the near future."That’s certainly the mecca, the goal," said Marc Ratner, UFC’s Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. "When I speak to commissions who’ve approved the sport and had other competing groups runs, I say, ‘now it’s time to have Broadway.’ Now, we want to take our Broadway to Broadway."
UFC President Dana White recently told NBCSports.com that it was his goal to run events in both Chicago and New York within 18 months. Ratner says that goal is realistic.
"I believe it is, yes," he says. "We’ll start working on New York a little more aggressively next week and we’ll find out what it entails. It depends on each state, but I’m very bullish on the future of the sport."
For now, Illinois is the next state Ratner would like to check off his list. The UFC has worked with state lobbyists to find sponsors for the bill. Once a bill is drafted, it will be introduced through the proper legislative channels. That process will begin imminently, according to Ratner, before going up for vote. Assuming it’s approved and written into law, Illinois (and possibly Michigan) could have the sport approved within a few months. Once regulated, the UFC will consider bringing a fight card there in the very near future.
The battleground in New York is a bit different. MMA has been banned in the state since February 1997. Just four months earlier, then-Gov. George Pataki had signed legislation to regulate the sport before reversing course due to public pressure. Ironically, during that time, Ratner was then the executive director of the Nevada state athletic commission, and on a broadcast of "Larry King Live," said that the state would never have the UFC with its no-holds barred, anything-goes rules. Now, he’s on the other side of the debate, fighting for UFC.
Of course, a lot has changed in that time. The Unified Rules of Mixed Martial Arts were written by the New Jersey state athletic commission in 2000 and helped make the sport safer, Zuffa LLC bought the UFC from original owner SEG, and a mainstream explosion followed.
Now, 10 years later, New York state athletic commission chairman Ron Scott Stevens said that the commission has no official stance on the sport, and that it will respond according to whatever action the state government takes.
"If the legislature or senate have a bill that’s introduced, and the governor decides to approve it, and we’re asked to regulate it, I will do that," Stevens said.
In November 2005, the state of California legalized MMA. According to Armando Garcia, executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission, 48 sanctioned events were held in the state during 2006, and it’s been a successful undertaking.
"I think it’s been a very positive experience for everyone," he said. "We certainly did not want it to stay the way it was before it was regulated, with little medical care, poor officiating and so forth. There are still issues facing the sport, but it’s been a positive for the state."
Other states UFC is lobbying to regulate the sport are Pennsylvania and Hawaii. While the former state currently bans MMA, it is not regulated at all in the latter. So while some smaller fighting organizations run shows there, Ratner and the UFC would not yet consider the islands.
"We feel strongly that if the athletic commission hasn’t approved it yet, then it’s not completely regulated. And we want to run to regulation."
The UFC’s March show in Columbus, Ohio will be an important event for the company. Aside from being one of the fastest sellouts in UFC history and possibly setting an new attendance record for an event, Ratner will use the platform to invite athletic commission members from states considering the sport to the venue and experience it first hand.
"Certainly our long-term goal is to have any state, province or country that has an athletic commission to approve the sport of mixed martial arts," he said.
| " | Certainly our long-term goal is to have any state, province or country that has an athletic commission to approve the sport of mixed martial arts," |
Great news!