MMA was just passed once more yesterday in the New York senate. It is hard to get our hopes up as it seems year after year it gets passed on the senate floor but gets killed again in their Assembly. I’m not trying to speak ill of anything but let’s be honest – five years later the same game will be played out. Why is that? Why do we think that the Big Apple, one of the most well known tourist and sporting attractions to grace this planet still holds out to embrace MMA? Madison Square Garden is a dream venue for numerous sports, music, comedy, and other entertainment brands all have on their bucket list to claim as theirs; sadly Jon Jones will just have to be content fighting over in Jersey until things change
Needing to know this answer to such a legendary question we reached out to “The Legend” himself – Frank Shamrock. He was kind enough to break it down for us:
“It’s simple really – MMA will never become legal in New York because of the Fertitta’s – simple as that. I would be very surprised if it ever passed while they were still in an ownership position of Zuffa. All of this, it’s all politics and it is sad. It all comes back to the unions – their (Fertitta’s) casinos are non union and they want to come into a state that is all union; a lot of people suffer for it – it’s really a Mexican standoff, nobody is going to back down.”
Hard to argue the fact to that folks, especially when you consider who really is suffering for not being able to host MMA bouts in the “Empire State” – promoters, fighters, sponsors, venue owners, hotels, etc. Many forms of income and revenue are being lost for a grudge. Frank is no stranger to grudges with the UFC and also spoke on their recent “record keeping” with Tito Ortiz:
“I saw what they did with Jon Jones’ record after UFC 172 and I did feel bad for Tito (Ortiz), I feel bad for me too. Not that it has me sad or upset, I know what I have done in this sport – I just feel bad for like my kids. I can tell them all day long what their father has done but to not be able to verify that within the promotion’s records – it hurts… Hurts me for new fans too who have no idea who I might be since they don’t know me beforehand – just sad to see this happen.”
