UFC 126, which takes place tonight at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, sold out last month. A healthy and enthusiastic crowd is expected for the opening of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament that begins next Saturday at the IZOD Center in the Meadowlands; and tickets are going fast for UFC 129 set for Newark’s Prudential Center in March.
Mixed martial arts continues to do big business all across the country — except New York. And that’s not going to change any time soon.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo omitted the sanctioning of MMA from his 2011-12 budget proposal, meaning it is unlikely MMA will be sanctioned during this year’s legislative session.
Make no mistake. This is not a blow to MMA. It is a blow to New York.
While presenting his budget proposal, Cuomo announced cuts in education and Medicaid as part of his efforts to eliminate a $10 billion budget deficit. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg responded by saying as many as 15,000 teachers could lose their jobs.
The money MMA could bring into New York isn’t going to solve the budget deficit, but $23 million and 200 jobs shouldn’t be ignored. Those numbers come from an economic impact study conducted by an independent agency and is based on the revenue that could be generated by hosting two UFC events in the Empire State. That doesn’t include the taxable revenue Strikeforce and other MMA promoters would generate. For now, that money is being ignored.
Cuomo had to be aware of the study and the interest in sanctioning MMA in New York, considering Zuffa, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, contributed a reported $75,000 to his campaign. I have said it before and I will say it again, sanctioning MMA in New York should be a no-brainer. The sport is regulated as closely in New Jersey and Nevada as boxing is, and it would be the same in New York. The only people being hurt by not sanctioning MMA in New York are New Yorkers. That includes fighters, fans and people who don’t know MMA from the NBA but could benefit from the tax revenue.
The UFC is going to continue to sell out events in New Jersey and the other 43 states that sanction the MMA, while New York continues to fire teachers and cut back on Medicaid. It’s New York’s loss — again.
*
Speaking of UFC 126, Anderson Silva defends his middleweight championship against Vitor Belfort in the main event. Forrest Griffin and Rich Franklin are also on the card.
Speaking of Strikeforce, all eight participants in the heavyweight tournament including Fedor Emelianenko, Andrei Arlovski, Brett Rogers and Josh Barnett will participate in a public fan experience Tuesday at the Roseland Ballroom in Manhattan.
Doors open at 3:30 p.m. and fans in attendance will get to view workouts and collect autographs and photos. Tickets for Saturday’s bouts, headlined by Emelianenko vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva remain available at the usual outlets.
**
Austin Trout of Las Cruces, N.M., gets his long-awaited shot at the interim WBA super welterweight title tonight when he challenges Rigoberto Alvarez (26-2, 19 KOs) in Guadalajara, Mexico. Alvarez is the older brother of Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and will be fighting in his hometown.
“I’m very excited and honored to be fighting for the WBA world title,” said Trout (21-0, 13 KOs). “I’m going into his backyard and understand the odds seem against me, but I have God in my corner and He prevails against all odds. I’m fully prepared and feel great for the task at hand.”
Trout is trained by Louie Burke, also of Las Cruces.