On the same day that New Yorker Jon 'Bones' Jones would convincingly defeat "The Ultimate Fighter" Season 8 winner Ryan Bader and be told that he would get a title shot next month in New Jersey, he would also be published as a "guest essayist" for the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.com in a piece titled, "Legalize mixed martial arts in New York."
After his hand was raised in victory on February 5, Jones was informed that because of an injury that Rashad Evans had suffered in training, he was being given the opportunity -- on very short notice -- to take on light heavyweight champion Shogun Rua for a shot at his title in March at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
In his essay on February 5, Jones, a UFC fighter on a meteoric rise, writes that he was "born in Rochester, raised in Endicott, Broome County, and won the New York state high school wrestling championship in Albany in 2005. As a mixed martial arts athlete with the Ultimate Fighting Championship, I would love to compete in front of the same friends and family in my professional career. Unfortunately, I can't. New York is one of four states that doesn't allow MMA."
Notably, Prudential Center is a mere 15 or so miles across the Hudson River from Madison Square Garden in New York City.
For most people, including those who don't really follow the sport, this short distance is in no way meaningful because they see the massive UFC billboards in Times Square (virtually monthly) and most likely know (indeed, can't miss the fact) that MMA airs live on, inter alia, CBS, Spike, Showtime, HDNet, and pay-per-view.
They are, therefore, understandably unaware that there is a specific, antiquated law banning mixed martial arts in New York, while it thrives in Jersey which is less than 15 miles away along with 43 other states.
So, notwithstanding the fact that I can turn on my television and watch MMA on a near-daily basis and notwithstanding the fact that I can take a short train ride from Penn Station (which is located basically underneath Madison Square Garden) to Prudential Center for a live event, I cannot go to Madison Square Garden to watch athletes, like Jones, compete before fellow New Yorkers.
Instead, I am forced to spend my money elsewhere; supporting New Jersey, while New York desperately contends with a $10 billion budget gap.
At the time Jones wrote his essay, he did not know that he would be fighting next month in New Jersey and that he would get his chance to compete before his friends and family. But is that really good enough?
Don't get me wrong, New Jersey is certainly better than Nevada, but it is not New York and why should Jones, or New Yorkers, have to settle for the next best thing.
MMA has established itself as a sport that is simply traditional martial arts (and Olympic sports) rolled into one with (1) significant, developed body of rules; (2) clear and strict medical requirements, including that ambulances and doctors are available at the event; (3) referees that are knowledgeable about the sport; and (4) incredible athletes like Jones.
As I have written repeatedly, we must take these facts and educate our elected representatives in Albany. The question becomes how.
As I wrote in an earlier article at MMAPayout, "A History Lesson (or History’s Lesson) on Mixed Martial Arts in New York," the media had a large impact on the complete reversal in Albany in 1997 that led to the current ban on MMA. I concluded that the best way to get the ban lifted was to engage the media with legitimate information from local individuals involved in the sport and local stories about how the sport (and the ban) is impacting New Yorkers.
Jon 'Bones' Jones is a now-critical piece of the puzzle in my view -- with a great media presence and personality -- and can help to educate up in Albany and bring this great sport to our great State.
Fight Lawyer
