It's the middle of March. With the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade still months away, Manhattan certainly isn't doing anything with, what, Sixth Avenue this time of year.
So let's have us MMA fans take a stroll down this little parade route. Someone rent a Cadillac convertible and place Matt Serra on top of the back seat, and let's throw ourselves a shindig. Because as of Tuesday, professional mixed martial arts is on the precipice of being legal in the Empire State and across all of America. CageInsider.com's Jim Genia noted the bill's positive progression:
The bill passed.
— jim genia (@jim_genia) March 22, 2016
New York was the 50th and final holdout for MMA legalization in the U.S., thanks mainly to complex political machinations in Albany. For six years, the state Senate passed a bill to lift the ban that kept MMA underground, only to see it die in the State Assembly.
All it took was a corruption arrest, an ensuing leadership change in the statehouse and a major push from the MMA community to muster the political will to get it passed in the assembly, which is what happened Tuesday. The purported $100 million in economic benefits may have been the final push that got a bill over the goal line and onto the governor's desk.
Oh, and the threat of a protracted lawsuit from UFC parent company Zuffa probably didn't hurt the state's motivation, either.
Those people who want to see a UFC in Madison Square Garden are leading the parade. They're flipping their batons up and down. But this victory means more than that. It means safer events, because they won't happen in metaphorical back alleys any more in New York. It means further legitimization of a sport that continues to strain for legitimacy.
Despite all the momentum, none of this was ever a done deal until it was a done deal. This celebration is not merely a cordial nod toward the inevitable.
For example, remaining opponents on Tuesday showed their teeth and took their pound of flesh. Some had legitimate concerns over brain injuries and other safety issues. Others, less so.
"Cage fighting, also known as MMA, has no place in a civilized society," said Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee Tuesday, per the Journal News. "It is a spectacle of violence. Except for those who stand to profit from this barbaric entertainment masquerading as a sport, cage fighting causes great harm."
And that was one of the more measured takes. Consider (via Fightland):
NY Assembly member Daniel O'Donnell just described MMA as "gay porn with a different ending." Call him @518-455-5603 http://pic.twitter.com/Yb6uYiVSdV
— FIGHTLAND (@FIGHTLAND) March 22, 2016
Some people inside MMA don't like it, either. Just another cookie jar for the hand of Zuffa, people say. Another unneeded reason for New Yorkers to thump their chests and tout their exceptionalism.
Fine. But you're missing the point, not to mention soiling the punch bowl. This conferred a sense of completeness to MMA that transcends any specific entity. Another puzzle piece has snapped into place.
Do you, the everyday MMA fan, feel cleaner today than you did yesterday? If not, you should. A lot of egg just got wiped off your face, regardless of whether you welcomed the action, cared or not.
Let's also be honest with one another. What MMA-loving person anywhere along the Eastern Seaboard and beyond isn't going to camp out to watch Jon Jones at Madison Square Garden later this year? Madison Square Garden was hosting fights back when it was still an actual garden. John L. Sullivan built his legend there. How could you not want to see MMA plant its own flag inside that venue?
(For the record, nothing's official yet, but one has to imagine long-swirling rumors of a UFC-MSG mega-card will be like Quikcrete after Tuesday's voting.)
As the bill goes to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's desk (he is pro MMA and will sign the bill into law), people shouldn't take a moment to express their apathy, disgust or cynicism. MMA won Tuesday. Let's groove on that. If we all do it together, Sixth Avenue will never know what hit it.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
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