Legalize NY MMA Now’s statement to the NY Committee

On Wednesday, December  9 at 11 AM in NYC, the New York Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development will be meeting to discuss business, new and old. Legalize NY MMA Now, a recently formed group to push the bill forward and attention to it, has prepared a statement for the event and has forwarded it to the committee for their consideration. Below is the written statement. Pass it around and make sure to join their facebook page at the link above to show your support for getting MMA legal in NY and making it one step closer to being completely sanctioned in the entire US.

Written Testimony of

Keisha Morrisey, Nick Roach, and Matt Hu

Founders, Legalize NY MMA Now

Before the Assembly Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts, and Sports Development

New York Assembly

December 9, 2009

The group, Legalize NY MMA Now, whose mission is committed to influencing legislation to allow mixed martial arts (MMA) in the state of New York and to provide proper education about the sport, believes that by not addressing the MMA bill in the New York Assembly, the assembly is ignoring the sport’s safety, growth, and economic impact.

Mixed martial arts has changed since the first MMA matches in the United States and now has embraced an attitude for increased safety regulations and sanctioning. Professional MMA fighters are licensed and tracked in State Athletic Commissions’ databases for fights, suspensions, and illegal and banned substance tests. There are 25 fouls outlined in the Unified Rules and Regulations, including butting with the head, eye gouging of any kind, biting or spitting at an opponent, groin attacks of any kind, strikes to the back of the head, throat strikes of any kind, kicking the head of a grounded fighter, etc. The Incidence of Injury in Professional Mixed Martial Arts Competitions study by Johns Hopkins University concluded the sport to be as safe, if not safer, as boxing. It is true, as Mr. Bob Reilly points out, in the 171 matches studied from September 2001 to December 2004 in Las Vegas, 40.3% ended with at least one injured fighter. However, 71.8% of those injuries were either cuts or injuries to the hand or nose. Such injuries require mandatory time off from the sport for adequate recovery. One would be hard pressed to find a fighter who was not able to fully heal and willingly return to compete.

The sport has grown substantially over the last few years and expected to continue. TV coverage has exploded. In 2004 a fan could view MMA only on PPV or DVD. Now, the sport is viewable on cable network TV, including channels such as Spike, Versus, Showtime, and HDNet. Promotions have also reached network TV on CBS. Gross revenues of PPV events have had annual increases of 47% in 2004, 232% in 2005, and 424% in 2006. $200MM in estimated PPV dollars for the UFC occurred in 2007. Gate revenues have seen similar spikes. UFC events have grown from five live events in 2001, with a price of $81.45, to 10 events in 2006, with average ticket price of $273.68. The average gate revenue for UFC fights in 2007 was $2.8MM.

The economic impact of this sport should be considered. According to a study conducted by HR&A, an UFC event in NYC is expected to result in $11.5MM in ‘net new’ economic spending. A Buffalo event would generate $5.2MM in total economic activity. The Times Union Center in Albany anticipates a single MMA event generating close to $1MM in economic impact for Albany businesses and an additional $100,000 in tax revenues for Albany County.

Please allow the MMA and sport fans to enjoy this great sport in New York. The safety of the sport has changed due to needed attention by athletic commissions. Former opponents, including Sen. John McCain and Randy Gordon, have come to view and accept MMA in its new form. This group witnessed the sports growth over the last few years and see opportunities for expansion to many other markets. Like Massachusetts, New York should embrace it now. It will bring much needed revenue to New York. Legalize NY MMA Now writes to you on behalf of those who dream of seeing a MMA event in Madison Square Garden, the Mecca of Boxing and, hopefully soon, the Mecca of Mixed Martial Arts.