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What a victory.

Ronda Rousey was the one who had her hand raised late on Saturday night, as she always does, but if referee John McCarthy had sufficient hand-raising capacity he also might have raised the hands of Liz Carmouche, of Dana White and his UFC team, of all the women who compete at the top level of mixed martial arts, even of the sport itself.

Everybody wins.

Well, everybody except the online Neanderthals -- a dwindling number, yet full-voiced -- who shockingly and shamefully continued spewing hate on the women's game even as the electricity from the main event of UFC 157 was still reverberating around the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., as well as in the homes and barrooms of satisfied pay-per-view customers worldwide.

What a debut for women in the UFC. What a fight, period.

Rousey's submission victory at 4:49 of the first round keeps her resume unblemished. It now shows one more notch just like all that came before -- another first-round finish, another armbar. But this was different. The women's bantamweight champion (7-0), who had vanquished five of her six previous opponents within the first minute, had a fight on her hands this time.

Since Ronda's fights are measured in seconds, let's recap according to ticks of the clock: It took six seconds for Rousey to land her first punch, a left jab against a backpedaling Carmouche, and just another four seconds for the champ to get a firm clinch on her opponent against the cage. Twenty-six seconds in, Rousey got the takedown she sought and ended up in side control, a great position from which to initiate that killer armbar. Fight over?

Not quite. Carmouche (8-3) spent five years in the US Marine Corps, including three tours of duty in Iraq. She has that battle-tested mettle at her call, not to mention the fortitude it has taken her to come out as a lesbian and blaze a trail as the first openly gay fighter in the UFC. She had plenty of fight left.

Within 15 seconds, Liz had squirmed out from under Rousey and positioned herself behind the champ. When Ronda stood up, Carmouche went with her, attached to her back, arms wrapping around her face, groping for a choke. The fight was not yet a minute old, and as expected, someone was in trouble. But it wasn't the underdog challenger.

As Rousey tried to dislodge her and the crowd roared, Carmouche cranked the champ's neck to one side, waiting for an opening that might allow her to sink in a choke. Liz was doing just fine with the neck crank, actually, as Ronda's face reddened from the strain. The moment was reminiscent of when a fighter no less indomitable, Jon Jones, was caught in a Vitor Belfort armbar early in their fight -- except on that September night in Toronto, the champ quickly escaped and it wasn't until afterward that we learned he had damaged his arm. This time the possibility of a shocking upset lingered in the air for a good 30 seconds, which was the time it took Rousey to finally shake Carmouche off her back.

At that point, Rousey took a step back and a deep breath as Carmouche lay on the mat, inviting her to engage. Ronda obliged, and with just under three minutes to go in the round she once again ended up on top of the challenger, in side control. She landed a succession of short punches to the face, evaded some clever attempts at a reversal, and finally gained armbar position with just under a minute left. Carmouche kept her arms locked for as long as she could, hoping to make it to the horn, but when Ronda pried the right arm free and stretched it out, Liz tapped with 11 seconds to go.

"It was a great fight," Carmouche said afterward in the cage, to the cheers of a crowd that mostly had come to see her opponent, no doubt, but walked out of the building looking forward to seeing her again, too. "I thought I had it. And, you know, like everything, you make a mistake and it turns around."

Rousey, as it turned out, had more than a neck crank on her mind during the close call. "Trying to think about my bra falling down and her on my back at the same time," said the champ, referring to a near wardrobe malfunction. "So next time, bigger bra."

Now, that's a brand new fighter concern for the previously all-male UFC.

Speaking of which, it was a good thing the women were around to provide some main event thrills. Months ago, there was grumbling when the fight card was announced and a light heavyweight fight between former champ Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson, a multi-division champ from Pride and Strikeforce, was slotted in the co-main, beneath Rousey and Carmouche.

As it turned out, Machida's uneventful split-decision victory was better off as a three-rounder. Ten more minutes of that circle dance would have put the whole building asleep.

Lyoto played his usual matador role and Hendo tried a few bull rushes, but the dagger never came out and there definitely was no "ole!" from the crowd. The fans saw more idle staredown than at the weigh-ins, and they let the fighters know about it. Their boos drowned out much of Machida's post-fight interview, although he could be heard apologizing: "Sorry if the fight was not good for you, but thank you for coming, everybody. Next time ..."

As he trailed off, you had to wonder: Next time, what? Next time, he'll not sit back waiting for something to happen? And how will that next time take shape? The victor was promised a shot at the winner of April's Jon Jones-Chael Sonnen title fight, but you never know. Dana White always says he likes to give fans the fights they want to see. And there's surely no groundswell of anticipation for Machida's next move.

The same cannot be said for the women who entered the cage a few minutes later. Rousey won the fight. Carmouche won respect. The UFC and women's MMA won fan approval. It was a big night all around.

Especially for Rousey. We saw her face down adversity for the first time inside the cage. We saw her once again finish a fight. And that's
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Spike, the cable television network, has been described as having a target audience of men ages 18-34.

Count Joshua Montoya, 23, as a big fan – and, soon, as a target for that audience.

Montoya, a Santa Fe bantamweight (135-pound) mixed martial arts fighter, is scheduled to face Ed West of Tucson on Thursday at the Santa Ana Star Center. Recently, Montoya learned that his fight has been elevated to the televised portion of the Bellator MMA card on Spike. The opportunity to fight for Bellator, the second-largest MMA organization in the United States, was exciting enough.

Now, he says, “I’ll be viewed by a million-plus people, right?”

Yes, possibly. Bellator’s Feb. 14 card, originating in Charlotte, N.C., averaged a reported 719,000 viewers for its live telecast on Spike. A replay, aired immediately after, was watched by another 313,000.

The career-advancement potential for this fight is certainly not lost on Montoya.

But, he says, it would be a colossal mistake to focus on that and not on West – an experienced Bellator fighter with a 17-7 record.

“He’s super tough,” says Montoya (10-7), noting that West lost by split decision to Brazil’s Eduardo Dantas, the current Bellator bantamweight champion. “… He’s fought some tough guys.”

It also would be a mistake, Montoya says, to build the combination of West, Bellator and Spike – while offering a tremendous opportunity – into an overwhelming task.

“Honestly, it’s just another fight for me,” he says. “It’s what I do, and it’s what I’ve been doing my whole career, fighting tough guys.

“I’m just really thankful to be fighting at all.”

In fact, Montoya has fought just once since December 20011 -a victory by submission over Frank Morris last August on a King of the Cage card at Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino in Pojoaque.

After losing three consecutive fights in a three-month period in the summer of ’11, he has won his last two.

He credits his coach, Scott Marlowe of Judgment Mixed Martial Arts in Rio Rancho, for much of the turnaround.

“(Before), I was basically fighting with no coach,” Montoya says. “I was training myself. Now I have a coach, and now I’m on a two-fight win streak. My record (the past losses), that doesn’t mean anything to me.

“I’m a totally different person. I have a different motivation.”

Some nine years ago, Montoya says, his motivation for taking up jiujitsu was a teenager’s lack of confidence and self-esteem.

“Growing up as a kid, I had a lot of anxiety issues,” he says. “I didn’t like to be around people; I didn’t like to be in confrontations with people. I really didn’t like to speak out loud, and stuff like that.”

Self-expression through the martial arts, he says, turned out to be exactly what he needed. “It progressed, and then I just said, ‘If I can fight in front of thousands of people, then I guess I can get over my anxiety.’ It was just a way of building my confidence.”

The 23-year-old Montoya is confident enough to run his own school, Alchemy Brazilian Jiujitsu, in Santa Fe.

He expresses confidence as well, in analyzing the matchup against West.

“Style-wise, (West) throws a lot of kicks,” he says. “He likes to score points. It’s not like he’s trying to finish the fight standing up.”

Montoya twice has fought as a professional boxer. He lost both fights but says improving his striking for MMA was a greater goal than victory.

“I’ve come a long way in my striking,” he says, “and I’m gonna try to go out there and finish (West). I’m trying to go hurt him and make a statement. This is it.

“I don’t want to go and be another decision on his record. I want to finish him. I want to go out and fight.”
Santa Fe’s Montoya excited about TV exposureThursdayMMA: Christian M’Pumbu vs. Attila Vegh, Holly Holm vs. Katie Merrill, eight other bouts, Santa Ana Star Center, 6 p.m. TV: Spike. Tickets: $25-$90, santaanastarcenter.com
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A bill designed to regulate combat sports in South Dakota is now headed to the state's house of representatives.

If passed, the bill would head to the governor's desk, where it would either be signed into law or vetoed.

At a hearing Monday in the state capitol in Pierre, the Senate Commerce and Energy committee voted unanimously to pass Senate Bill 84, which would mandate the creation of a state athletic commission to oversee boxing, kickboxing and MMA. The bill's original sponsor, Senator Mark Johnston, said the passage wasn't surprising despite a recent proposal to ban MMA outright.

"The fact of the matter is that MMA is the fastest-growing sport in the world right now," he said.

Sen. Steve Hickey, who recently called MMA "the child porn of sports," argued in favor of a proposed amendment to make boxing and traditional martial arts the state's only regulated combat sports.

Johnston added that "a couple" of lobbyists for "family values-leaning causes" also testified in opposition to the bill's passage, which was its final hurdle in the state senate before going to the house.

Johnston said the bill's primary intent was to eliminate unregulated MMA events. This past May, a 26-year-old amateur died one week after fighting in one such competition. "That's what gives MMA the cage-fighting moniker," Johnston said. "Unregulated MMA becomes cage-fighting, and I think we all agree that's wrong. Based on (Hickey's) proposal, where do we draw the line? Do we take on football? Do we take on rodeo? Because some would also argue that whose are violent sports.

"We just concluded the high school wrestling championships in South Dakota. With wrestling being a key component of mixed martial arts, do we ban that?"

South Dakota governor Dennis Daugaard previously has called MMA "cage-fighting" and expressed concern that the state would legitimize the sport.

It's not the first time the state has wrestled with the regulation of combat sports. In 2009, the legislature voted to create the South Dakota Boxing Commission, but didn't appoint commissioners, who would have been personally liable for expenses not covered by regulated events. The law expired this past July.

The current bill needs two-thirds of the house to make it to the governor's desk.

"If we're going to have (MMA), let's regulate it," Johnston said. "Let's do what's right to protect athlete safety, as well as grab onto the opportunities that may come before us in respect to hosting a large event here in South Dakota."



South Dakota MMA bill headed to house after unanimous vote
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Matt Riddle's UFC career has come to unceremonious end.

The welterweight was released from the UFC recently after he failed a post-fight drug test for marijuana following his UFC on FUEL TV 7 split decision win over Che Mills earlier this month, MMAFighting-com confirmed with sources close to the situation. MMA Junkie first reported the news Tuesday.

Riddle wasn't available to comment on the situation when contacted by MMAFighting-com. No word just yet on whether his win will now be overturned.

This marks the second time in less than a year that Riddle tested positive for marijuana following a fight. His July UFC 149 win over Chris Clements was changed to a no contest after he failed his post-fight drug test in Calgary.

The 27-year-old Riddle has a medical marijuana license from the state of Nevada, and he said on a recent episode of The MMA Hour that he smokes for legitimate medical reasons.

"I do smoke but I'm not smoking to get stoned," he said. "I'm smoking so I can finally relax, sit back and just not worry about things. People, maybe they did it in college one way, but for a guy like me, for a professional athlete that goes through what we go through, it’s medicine for me. Maybe for some little stoner sitting on the couch playing XBox, for him, it's a drug. For me, it's medicine."

The UFC acted as the governing body in London since there isn't an athletic commission in place there. Riddle (8-3, 1 NC) made his UFC and MMA debut in June 2008 following a stint on the seventh season of "The Ultimate Fighter."



Matt Riddle released from UFC following second failed marijuana drug test - MMA Fighting
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South Dakota is on the verge of regulating fighting sports such as boxing, karate and — most controversially — mixed martial arts.

A bill to create a fight commission passed the South Dakota House 50-20, despite strenuous objections that mixed martial arts was so violent and dangerous it should be banned.

“Just the visceral perception from the average person is, this thing is violent,” said Rep. Steve Hickey, R-Sioux Falls, who led the charge against mixed martial arts in the Legislature. “I just can’t imagine us giving the green light to this and bringing in this industry.”

He pitched his amendment as a compromise — to allow a commission to oversee boxing, karate and other traditional fighting sports, but draw the line at mixed martial arts.

But the House rejected Hickey’s amendment 43-27. Rep. Dean Schrempp, D-Lantry, successfully argued that any problems with mixed martial arts in South Dakota were due to the lack of oversight.

“Once we get it regulated, we shouldn’t have no more problems with it, or at least not as many as we have now,” Schrempp said.

Among the regulations a commission could impose would be medical personnel at fights, insurance for bouts, blood tests for fighters, and mandatory bans for fighters who sustain concussions. The House also defeated an amendment offered by Rep. Kristin Conzet, R-Rapid City, requiring members of the commission to have liability insurance. Among the objections Gov. Dennis Daugaard has raised to a fight commission is that the state or the commissioners could be exposed to costly lawsuits as a result of their rulings. Rep. Susan Wismer, D-Britton, said commissioners could exercise personal judgment about obtaining or not obtaining such insurance.

The Senate previously approved the fight commission and is expected to concur in amendments made on the House side, Senate sponsor Sen. Mark Johnston said. The measure, Senate Bill 84, would then head to Daugaard, who strongly opposes it.

Daugaard could sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without his signature. Both houses of the Legislature passed the fight commission bill with margins sufficient to override any veto.

Follow David Montgomery on the Political Smokeout blog for updates from the South Dakota legislative session.





www-argusleader-com/article/20130227/UPDATES/130227026/Update-Fight-commission-bill-passes-MMA-ban-defeated
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The latest move to legalize mixed martial arts in New York got off to a positive start Thursday as the state's Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation voted 11-3 on a bill in support of the sport.

The bill now heads to the Senate Finance Committee, which has yet to set a date for a vote on the matter. Committee members are expected to vote in favor of the bill. "I know the Senate will again pass the bill this year, and I am hopeful that with the leadership of the Assembly Majority Leader Joseph D. Morelle it will finally become law this year," Sen. Joseph A. Griffo said. "The legalization enjoys widespread, bipartisan support from upstate and downstate members in both houses.

"Legalizing MMA in New York will mean jobs and increased revenue. It will mean UFC, as well as other MMA promoters, will hold matches here. It means New York fans will no longer have to travel to New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and other states, but will be able to see live professional MMA in their local arenas."

For the past two years, bills legalizing MMA have received strong support in the New York State Senate, but not in the Assembly.

A bill that would have legalized MMA in New York was not voted on in May 2012, when Speaker Sheldon Silver conducted a closed-door informal vote during an Assembly Democratic conference. Afterward, Silver determined there wasn't enough support for MMA, and the bill never reached the Assembly floor for a vote.

But UFC chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta expressed optimism Thursday that the sport will be voted on by the Assembly this year and will become legal in New York.

"New York state's time has come," Fertitta said. "We are confident that 2013 is the year that the Empire State joins 48 other states in legalizing MMA.

"On behalf of millions of New York state UFC and MMA fans, I'm hoping that this year, finally, the Assembly will join the Senate in supporting this legislation to bring revenues to the state and to local governments across the state, produce desperately needed jobs, and allow New Yorkers to see UFC and professional MMA events live in their communities."

Opposition against the legalization of MMA in New York is loud. A letter from the labor and faith-based organizations was sent to Silver on Wednesday seeking his continued efforts to fight the passage of such a bill.

"In the wake of the tragic mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., it is unthinkable that lawmakers in any jurisdiction would risk exposing our children to an activity that involves extreme violence and brutality," the letter said.

Working Families Party executive director Daniel Cantor and Greater New York Labor-Religion Coalition executive director Michael Feinberg were among those who signed the letter.



Bill to legalize MMA in New York passes in state's Senate Committee of Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation - ESPN New York
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Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Andrew van Zyl was crowned new Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) heavyweight champion, after defeating the former undefeated Ruan Potts at the 18th edition of EFC Africa at Carnival City in Brakpan on Friday night.

Having already successfully defended his title against Van Zyl in November 2011, Potts was unable to repeat his heroics, after his challenger was awarded the victory by unanimous decision by the deciding judges, with the fighters not able to decide a winner after the full five rounds of action.

Potts looked on top for most of the fight but Van Zyl was able to grind out the victory, repeatedly sending the fight to the floor, where the new champion out-punched Potts and grabbed a well-deserved win.

In the first main card bout of the night, Tyron Rightford connected a right hook to David Buirski’s temple, claiming victory one minute and 47 seconds into the first round of their welterweight fight.

Brother Gareth Buirski was next to the ring, but was thwarted by Abdul Hassan, who defeated Gareth by majority decision from the judges after the pair could not be separated after three rounds, ending a disappointing evening for the Buirski family.

In the night’s other fights, Tumelo Maphutha set a new EFC Africa record by knocking out Chris du Pont a mere seven seconds into their bout, claiming the fastest ever knockout.

Meanwhile, in the light heavyweight division, Gideon Drotschie put himself in contention for a shot at the title when he defeated Brendon Groenewald in the third round of their bout, courtesy of a technical knockout halfway into the final round.

Johan van Staden and Dallas Jakobi were forced to share the spoils as the judges ruled a split draw, after the bout went the full three rounds and failed to produce a winner.

There were also wins for Charlie Weyer in the bantamweight division, Juan Lubbe in the welterweight division and an impressive showing from Sors Grobbelaar, who withstood plenty of big hits from heavyweight opponent Ricky Misholas, but was awarded victory by a split decision, infusing the crowd, who clearly thought Misholas should have won.




Van Zyl crowned new MMA heavyweight champion - Sport LIVE
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Who had a great week in MMA? Who just wants this week to be over so they can go home and take a bubble bath? Read up on Cagewriter's hot and not list.

HOT: Women's MMA — Riding a wave started by Ronda Rousey's championship win over Liz Carmouche, female fighters are now in the spotlight. The Rousey-Carmouche result made it all over television, and print and internet press. This opened the door for other fighters to get some press, like this Canadian piece on women's MMA.

HOT: Jose Aldo — The featherweight champion didn't like that he was fighting Anthony Pettis. He spoke up about it, ticked off UFC president Dana White, but then got his demand. If he wins, he'll get to jump up to lightweight for a chance at that belt. Pretty good tantrum, huh?

NOT: Matt Riddle — Getting in trouble with the UFC over using a banned substance is never good, regardless of reasoning or doctor's approval. Doing it twice in a row when the promotion is looking to trim 100 fighters from its roster? It means Riddle is looking for a job.

HOT: South Dakota — Legislators in the Mount Rushmore State -- yes, that's its nickname -- saw through misguided comments comparing MMA to child porn and voted to regulate MMA. It opens the door for more safety in fights in their fights.

NOT: Backwards thinking on MMA — Between the South Dakotan government officials being soundly dismissed and an editorial in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel being laughed off, it appears that MMA is moving past the days where ignorant people made comments about a sport they didn't understand.

Still taking a temperature: Brian Stann and Wanderlei Silva — Both men are looking to rebound off of losses as they face off at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan on Saturday. Which one will end up on the hot list next week?



Y! SPORTS
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Five years and more than 6,000 miles removed from the pinnacle of his wrestling career, Olympian Henry Cejudo stepped inside a cage Saturday night for his mixed martial arts debut.

Team USA’s 121-pound gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2008 Beijing Games, Cejudo was slotted in the evening’s co-main event by Tucson promotion World Fighting Federation. Cejudo, who captured two high school state wrestling championships in Arizona, was matched up with Tucson resident Michael Poe in a bantamweight bout.

Behind the curtain, a hyped Cejudo burst out of a set of Casino del Sol’s 15-foot double doors to await his cage walk. The enthusiasm rolled over into sedation for Cejudo as Poe’s walkout song took longer than expected. Dressed in a blue T-shirt and sweatpants marked with a matching USA logo, the 135-pound Cejudo sat in a nearby chair and waited alone with a calm anticipation.

When his name was called by the cage announcer, Cejudo strolled through a thick smoke machine entrance and emerged before the 2,000 spectators jammed into the casino’s conference room. Backed by his own MC, who provided a personalized hip hop walk-out track, Cejudo made his way to the cage to a respectful response from the local crowd. The rap track, sung by a childhood friend of Cejudo’s, was carefully paced to end the moment the MMA rookie made his first step into the cage.

At the opening bell, Cejudo rushed full-speed at Poe, who backpedaled and caught Cejudo with his first live punch. A glancing left hook from Poe woke up the amateur wrestler of 26 years.

“It was different. It’s a little faster paced here. I was a little shocked,” said Cejudo after the bout. “That dude has a pair of cojones on him. He just came out swinging. He caught me with a shot but it was nothing crazy. I don’t like getting hit. I really work on my defense a lot, that’s what makes me a good fighter. It’s part of the sport, getting hit.”

Poe followed up with a spinning back kick that grazed Cejudo’s midsection. Seconds later, before Poe could formulate a follow-up combo, Cejudo drove his opponent to the ground with a powerful takedown. The single, effortless motion put Poe on his back and on the defensive.

Looking for positional control, Cejudo held down Poe. With ground-and-pound not finding the mark, Poe threw up triangle choke and armbar submission attempts that made Cejudo aware but did not put the Phoenix fighter in danger. Still in Poe’s full guard, Cejudo found a home for a rapid succession of right hands. Moments after the first significant offense of the fight connected, the referee inside the cage called a halt to the contest, giving Cejudo the first-round TKO win and Poe his fifth consecutive loss.

The early stoppage was met by a chorus of halfhearted boos blended with cheers from the sold-out crowd. The quick trigger by the referee ended Cejudo’s inaugural MMA fight in less than 90 seconds. After a lifetime of getting his athletic fix on wrestling mat, Cejudo welcomed the butterflies that came with trying a sport foreign to him.

“It’s a little different, but I had a chance to wrestle in Iran, in front of sold out soccer stadiums,” said Cejudo. “I had a chance to wrestle in the middle in Times Square for Team USA versus Russia, the Olympic games -- it’s hard to beat that. At the same time, this is something new and intense. I like it. I like the rush.”

Cejudo was cornered by Roland Silaraup, MMA head coach at Scottsdale’s Fight Ready gym. A disciple of the Bob Cook and Frank Shamrock incarnation of American Kickboxing Academy, Silaraup described the joy of training an Olympic-caliber athlete in mixed martial arts.

“It’s actually easy. It’s kind of a pleasure. He comes in the gym every day and wants to learn,” Silaraup explained. “The striking game, the submission game, transitioning from the striking to the takedown, all the way to the submission; he’s evolving every single day. He already has an awesome base for MMA. For me, it was just sharpening him up and having fun.”

With an ambitious schedule of one fight per month for the remainder of 2013, Cejudo is not shy about predicting where he wants to be viewed in his new sport.

“On top. I don’t mean to be arrogant or ignorant. I’m here to perform. I’m here to get better,” said Cejduo. “I’m here to listen to my trainers and my coaches. I just want to continue to get better. All I can promise you is that I’m going to give it my all.”

The night’s main event saw two-time UFC welterweight Edgar Garcia move up to 185 pounds to square off with late replacement Leroy Fornof for the WFF middleweight title. Off a scramble, Garcia caught Fornof with multiple strikes. The wounded Fornof was ripe for a finish, and Garcia cranked on a quick kimura for a no-hesitation tap out at 1:54 of the first round.

In other pro action, featherweight Michael Parker took on Julian Samaniego for the WFF 145-pound belt. Parker outworked his opponent once the fight moved to the ground and eventually forced Samaniego to submit to a triangle choke at 1:52 of round one.


Olympic Gold Medalist Henry Cejudo Cruises in MMA Debut at World Fighting Federation
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In 2011, the Winnipeg Jets returned to the National Hockey League, putting the city back on the major-league sporting landscape after a 15-year absence.

In 2013, it looks like the UFC will be the next league to hit up the capitol of Manitoba.

According to Joe Ferraro of the Canadian cable network Sportsnet, the UFC will make its debut at the city's MTS Centre on Saturday, June 15. True North Sports and Entertainment, owners of the Jets and the building, has called a Tuesday press conference in regards to "a major sporting event."

The card, which is likely to be UFC 161, will mark the fifth Canadian city in which the UFC has hosted events, along with Montreal (the Bell Centre will host its sixth event with UFC 158 next month), Toronto (four events), Vancouver (two) and Calgary (one).
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Fallon Fox never wanted to talk about being transsexual. The professional MMA fighter who's been tearing through opponents has been a woman to her training partners and opponents for the last five years. Now, due to circumstances beyond her control, she's being forced out of the closet well before she was ready.

"For years I've known at some point it's very likely the shoe would drop," Fox told Outsports in a phone interview Tuesday. "Maybe someone would guess that I'm trans. Maybe they would know me from my life before I transitioned. I've been waiting for that phone call to happen. And Saturday night, it happened."

Fox was at dinner celebrating a victory when a call came through. It was from a reporter who asked probing questions that clearly lead to one conclusion: The reporter knew Fox's secret past. Within 48 hours she got a call from a former trainer who had been interviewed by the same reporter with the same questions. The secret of Fallon Fox was about to come out.

"These past six years, people have seen me as a woman, not a transsexual," she said. "People in the gym, people I train with, it's been great, it's been awesome. I'm just a woman to them. I don't want that to go away. It's unfortunate that it has to."


Born in the wrong body

Ten years ago, Fox told her parents that she felt like she was born in the wrong body. Her mother rejected the news. Her father told her she was actually a confused gay man. Fox insisted that she wasn't gay, and that she was mostly attracted to other women. Her father was unrelenting and put her in gay-conversion therapy. There she was treated by a gay-conversion therapist who tried to convince Fox that she was a gay man so that he could turn her into a straight man.

When the therapy sessions finally ended, Fox decided to start her sexual transition. She soon began hormone therapy that she has now been on for 10 years. Six years ago, she had gender reassignment surgery.

"For the longest time, my mother didn't want anything to do with me," Fox said. "I wasn't even allowed to come into her house or show up at her door. But as the years went on, they both started coming around a little bit."

That's taken a turn for the worse recently. Fox has not spoken to either of her parents in almost two years.

Shortly after her surgery, Fox took up MMA fighting. In the coming weeks and months she found a love for it. Over the last five years, it has become the reason she gets up in the morning. It is her life's passion.

"I get to train and hit on the bag and let some aggression out," Fox said. "And I love being out in front of the crowd when I compete. I love displaying my skill. All the hours of hard work and training, and you go out there and get to display what you've learned. At least when you lose, you know you tried your best. That fight experience is intoxicating." She has also become a dominant fighter. In her last match, this past Saturday just hours before the phone call that precipitated her coming out, Fox used a knee to the face to drop her opponent, Ericka Newsome, in 39 seconds.

Fox said she was confident going into that fight because of her preparation. She had watched tape on Newsome and saw she had a weakness: "Erica throws wild punches and doesn't defend her face." Very early in the match, Fox saw what she had seen on the tape, and she took the opening. With a smart, technical move she delivered a knee to Newsome's face and ended the match. It's not uncommon for elite-level female fighters to display this kind of dominance early in their professional careers. Fox points to Olympic judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey, who is also undefeated in her professional matches and whom UFC's Dana White called a "rock star." Most of her wins have come in under two minutes. Megumi Fuji was 22-0 and won most of her matches in under two minutes until later in her career.

Due to her hard work and focus, Fox considers herself a top-tier fighter who is just now moving through the ranks of the MMA circuit.

"This [dominance] is pretty common for someone who's an elite fighter with great technique," Fox said. "I've been training for this for five years. It's been all that's been on my mind. Constantly training. And it's just now starting to pay off."

Moving forward as an openly trans fighter

Fox knows some fans, and even some fighters, will try to dismiss her success because she was born in a male body.

"With a little more education," she said, "they might be able to see that they're wrong. I'm not the only one who's been dominant."

She argues that after 10 years of hormone therapy, and six years after gender-reassignment surgery, any advantage she had from being born in a male body have been erased. She is even recognized by the State of Illinois as female on her driver license.

"I'm technically, legally, physically and mentally female," she said. "Everything about me is female"

She has solid ground to stand on. Given her physical transition, she would be eligible to compete in the Olympic Games as she meets the International Olympic Committees' standards for trans athletes. If she were so inclined, she would be eligible to compete on the LPGA Tour and the WTA.

Still, SI.com is reporting that there is confusion around Fox's fighting license. She is currently scheduled for her next bout on April 20.

Her manager, Brett Atchley, has worked with Fox for just four months. He knew early on that Fox was transgender, and he said it doesn't matter to him one bit.

"She's gone through this process and it's been more of a challenge, and it's taken more of a commitment, than anyone she steps into the cage with," Atchley said. "It doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that she was strong enough and trusted me enough to tell me."

Fox has fears about the repercussions of coming out. For one, she worries that her life as simply a woman is going to transition. We hear this from athletes who fear coming ou
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Florida State Boxing Commission officials are reviewing the mixed martial arts license of Championship Fighting Alliance women's featherweight tournament participant Fallon Fox after learning she is a transgender female.

Fox revealed her original gender to SI-com on Monday, two days after Fox landed a knee to the chin of Ericka Newsome, who was knocked out in 39 seconds of their quarterfinal bout in Coral Gables, Fla.

It is believed that Fox is the first transgender male or female to participate in an MMA event. Neither FSBC officials nor CFA founder and CEO Jorge De La Noval was aware that Fallon was a trangender female. On the application she submitted March 1 for a Florida fighting license, Fallon listed her gender as female.

De La Noval said Fox was "heartbroken" as news of her 2006 sexual reassignment surgery went public, drawing intense scrutiny and criticism from fellow MMA fighters as well as triggering an investigation as to whether the 37-year-old was properly licensed for last weekend's fight.

"As a promoter, obviously everyone who comes into my office, what I see is a fighter," De La Noval said. "I don't ask anyone what their sexual preference is. What they do with their personal life is not my business. She's a sweet girl. ... And where we stand as a company is that she's a female. She has an Illinois driver's license (as a female). She's a female and she's definitely a fighter. I just don't see how anybody can revoke her license."

Fox claimed to be licensed in California, but her application still is being reviewed by that state's athletic commission.

The confusion, said Fox's agent Brett Atchley, came after a journalist who knew Fox's previous identity began inquiring about her. Atchley said they then went to a reporter he knew from SI-com, who wrote the story earlier this week.

"The bone of contention for Fallon seems to be people characterizing her as dishonest and manipulating, that she somehow manifested her destiny by saying, 'I'm going to have this operation and then I'm going to be a fighter and world champion,' " Atchley told ESPNChicago-com.

During its rules workshops next week, FSBC officials plan to address how to proceed with applications submitted by transgender fighters. "There is nothing on her application for a license that indicates anything of that nature," FSBC spokeswoman Sandi Copes Poreda told ESPN-com Wednesday.

"We are currently investigating some allegations related to the information provided on the application.

"The commission is in the process of updating its rules for professional MMA events, and this particular topic will be part of our workshops on March 15. We'll have additional information about the rules workshops after it's completed."

In the meantime, De La Noval is standing fully behind Fox, though he did not learn of her transgender status until after Saturday night's fight. He has no intention of removing her from the tournament.

"She [currently] has a license by the Florida State Boxing Commission as a female; she's going to stay in the tournament," De La Noval told ESPN-com. "She's a female fighter to us. And we're standing behind her when it comes to that.

"We're not going to kick her out of the tournament. She's going to continue fighting for CFA.

"It wouldn't be fair to cut her out of the tournament now. There's a lot of money on the line for her that she needs. She's a great fighter."

De La Noval said that Fox was scheduled to return to action April 20, but with all of the controversy surrounding her competitive license in Florida, the bout has been postponed. There is a discrepancy over how many MMA fights the 5-foot-6 Fox has had. De La Noval said it is his understanding that Fox has fought three times professionally, though he's heard she has competed in as many as five fights.

Despite the number of bouts Fox has under her belt, De La Noval is convinced she is a high-caliber mixed martial artist.

"We want to give her a couple of weeks to get that license cleared," De La Noval said. "She's obviously a fighter. There's no doubt in anybody's mind that she is a fighter.

"But is she going to get a female license? That's what the whole debate is about now."

De La Noval said other fighters have been calling, and he is getting mixed reaction.

"It has gotten to the point where some are saying, 'I'm fighting her in the next round. Am I fighting a male or female? What's the deal?' " he said. "I told them the same thing. I'm not pulling her from the tournament. She's a female fighter and if she goes all the way, she's going to be my champion and I'm very proud of her. It's just a matter of time before we see how this plays out."


Transgender fighter Fallon Fox faces review on MMA license - ESPN
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Jon Fitch has found a new home.

The former UFC welterweight contender has agreed to a four-fight deal with World Series of Fighting, the promotion's senior executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz confirmed with MMAFighting-com Thursday night. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Abdel-Aziz, Fitch is expected to debut for the promotion at its third event on June 14. He could face the winner of Aaron Simpson vs. Josh Burkman, which will take place at WSOF 2 on March 23, but that has not been set in stone just yet.
The 35-year-old Fitch (24-5-1) was released from the UFC in February following his loss to Demian Maia. The last time he fought outside of the UFC was in July 2005 when he defeated Jeff Joslin via split decision at an event called Freedom Fight.


Jon Fitch signs with World Series of Fighting - MMA Fighting
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THE sport of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) might not be for everyone, but the number of fans following the sport has grown exponentially in the last 10 years. After an initial splash in the US in early 1990s the sport began to attract more criticism that credit and as a result almost disappeared by the beginning of the 2000s. The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the largest MMA promotion in the world, was teetering on the brink of extinction until new owners bought the company and breathe life back into the UFC and ultimately the sport.



Today the UFC enjoys mainstream acceptance in the US through a deal with the Fox Network in August 2011. UFC programming can also be found on ESPN in the UK and Republic of Ireland, as well as in 150 countries and 22 different languages worldwide and as a result claims to be the fastest growing sport in the world.



This could be a break-out year for MMA in Ireland as two of its young guns have signed multi-fight contracts with the UFC. Norman Parke from Bushmills, Co Antrim and Conor McGregor, Crumlin, Dublin have both reached the big stage on merit.



Those familiar with the Irish MMA scene will be quick to tell there are a few more local fighters that could follow Parke and McGregor into the UFC.

One such fighter is Clontarf’s Cathal Pendred who this weekend fights for a world title under the Cage Warriors Fighting Championship banner. Cage Warriors is the largest European MMA promotion and one of the more prestigious titles to win outside of the UFC. His SBGi team-mate, Conor McGregor was their featherweight and lightweight world champion before progressing to the UFC.



A fierce competitor, Pendred probably would have made the grade as a professional rugby player. He won a Senior Cup medal packing down in the formidable Belvedere College scrum with Cian Healy. Having always had a grá for combat sports his focus began to drift. He dabbled with MMA training while on a J1 visa in the US. When he realised he could train MMA in Ireland, thoughts of playing for Leinster and Ireland began to fade.


MMA: Rising Clontarf star goes for world title in cage-fighting clash - Independent.ie
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Manne wrote: Fallon Fox never wanted to talk about being transsexual. The professional MMA fighter who's been tearing through opponents has been a woman to her training partners and opponents for the last five years. Now, due to circumstances beyond her control, she's being forced out of the closet well before she was ready.

"For years I've known at some point it's very likely the shoe would drop," Fox told Outsports in a phone interview Tuesday. "Maybe someone would guess that I'm trans. Maybe they would know me from my life before I transitioned. I've been waiting for that phone call to happen. And Saturday night, it happened."

Fox was at dinner celebrating a victory when a call came through. It was from a reporter who asked probing questions that clearly lead to one conclusion: The reporter knew Fox's secret past. Within 48 hours she got a call from a former trainer who had been interviewed by the same reporter with the same questions. The secret of Fallon Fox was about to come out.

"These past six years, people have seen me as a woman, not a transsexual," she said. "People in the gym, people I train with, it's been great, it's been awesome. I'm just a woman to them. I don't want that to go away. It's unfortunate that it has to."


Born in the wrong body

Ten years ago, Fox told her parents that she felt like she was born in the wrong body. Her mother rejected the news. Her father told her she was actually a confused gay man. Fox insisted that she wasn't gay, and that she was mostly attracted to other women. Her father was unrelenting and put her in gay-conversion therapy. There she was treated by a gay-conversion therapist who tried to convince Fox that she was a gay man so that he could turn her into a straight man.

When the therapy sessions finally ended, Fox decided to start her sexual transition. She soon began hormone therapy that she has now been on for 10 years. Six years ago, she had gender reassignment surgery.

"For the longest time, my mother didn't want anything to do with me," Fox said. "I wasn't even allowed to come into her house or show up at her door. But as the years went on, they both started coming around a little bit."

That's taken a turn for the worse recently. Fox has not spoken to either of her parents in almost two years.

Shortly after her surgery, Fox took up MMA fighting. In the coming weeks and months she found a love for it. Over the last five years, it has become the reason she gets up in the morning. It is her life's passion.

"I get to train and hit on the bag and let some aggression out," Fox said. "And I love being out in front of the crowd when I compete. I love displaying my skill. All the hours of hard work and training, and you go out there and get to display what you've learned. At least when you lose, you know you tried your best. That fight experience is intoxicating." She has also become a dominant fighter. In her last match, this past Saturday just hours before the phone call that precipitated her coming out, Fox used a knee to the face to drop her opponent, Ericka Newsome, in 39 seconds.

Fox said she was confident going into that fight because of her preparation. She had watched tape on Newsome and saw she had a weakness: "Erica throws wild punches and doesn't defend her face." Very early in the match, Fox saw what she had seen on the tape, and she took the opening. With a smart, technical move she delivered a knee to Newsome's face and ended the match. It's not uncommon for elite-level female fighters to display this kind of dominance early in their professional careers. Fox points to Olympic judo bronze medalist Ronda Rousey, who is also undefeated in her professional matches and whom UFC's Dana White called a "rock star." Most of her wins have come in under two minutes. Megumi Fuji was 22-0 and won most of her matches in under two minutes until later in her career.

Due to her hard work and focus, Fox considers herself a top-tier fighter who is just now moving through the ranks of the MMA circuit.

"This [dominance] is pretty common for someone who's an elite fighter with great technique," Fox said. "I've been training for this for five years. It's been all that's been on my mind. Constantly training. And it's just now starting to pay off."

Moving forward as an openly trans fighter

Fox knows some fans, and even some fighters, will try to dismiss her success because she was born in a male body.

"With a little more education," she said, "they might be able to see that they're wrong. I'm not the only one who's been dominant."

She argues that after 10 years of hormone therapy, and six years after gender-reassignment surgery, any advantage she had from being born in a male body have been erased. She is even recognized by the State of Illinois as female on her driver license.

"I'm technically, legally, physically and mentally female," she said. "Everything about me is female"

She has solid ground to stand on. Given her physical transition, she would be eligible to compete in the Olympic Games as she meets the International Olympic Committees' standards for trans athletes. If she were so inclined, she would be eligible to compete on the LPGA Tour and the WTA.

Still, SI.com is reporting that there is confusion around Fox's fighting license. She is currently scheduled for her next bout on April 20.

Her manager, Brett Atchley, has worked with Fox for just four months. He knew early on that Fox was transgender, and he said it doesn't matter to him one bit.

"She's gone through this process and it's been more of a challenge, and it's taken more of a commitment, than anyone she steps into the cage with," Atchley said. "It doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that she was strong enough and trusted me enough to tell me."

Fox has fears about the repercussions of coming out. For one, she worries that her life as simply a woman is going to transition. We hear this from athletes who fear coming ou
Born in the wrong body ?!
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kennex wrote: Born in the wrong body ?!
What a funny story.
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James Te Huna will join fellow Kiwi mixed martial arts fighter Mark Hunt on the UFC 160 card in Las Vegas on May 25 after he was announced today (Tues) as the replacement to meet Glover Teixeira.

Teixeira's scheduled opponent Ryan Bader injured himself in training and has had to pull out of the bout that will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

On Sunday, Hunt was also confirmed as a replacement fighter for Alistair Overeem and will meet Junior dos Santos at the event.

The Sydney-based Te Huna, a light heavyweight, has won his past four fights in the UFC and his most recent victory was over Canadian Ryan Jimmo in England in February.

A match-up against Teixeira, who has won his past 18 MMA bouts across a range of promotions, is likely to be a tough examination for the 31-year-old Te Huna who has a 5-1 record in the UFC.

Respected MMA website Sherdog-com has Teixeira ranked as the eighth-best light heavyweight in the world.

Hunt, a former K-1 kickboxing world champion, caught the attention of UFC president Dana White with a stunning TKO victory over Dutch giant Stefan Struve at UFC on Fuel TV in Japan two weeks ago.

After Overeem pulled out of the fight against dos Santos Hunt and White came to an agreement and Hunt's involvement was confirmed during the weekend.


MMA: Te Huna to join Hunt on UFC card - Sport - NZ Herald News
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo said lifting the state’s ban on professional mixed martial arts bouts should be “pursued” but suggested he would like to see a “multiyear commitment” from the Ultimate Fighting Championship before it’s a done deal.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Cuomo was asked whether allowing the sport in New York has been part of the state’s budget negotiations, given the potential economic impact from hosting large-scale bouts. Cuomo said the issue hasn’t come up but said he thinks it should be discussed after the budget is passed.

He said his administration would be more open to considering it if the Ultimate Fighting Championship — by far mixed martial arts’ biggest promoter — put together a formal plan for New York events.

“If they (UFC) put together a package that said, ‘This is what MMA would mean to the state of New York. We’ll do Buffalo. We’ll do Syracuse. We’ll do Rochester. Here’s a multiyear commitment. We think we’ll bring X millions of visitors, X millions in revenues,’” Cuomo said, “that’s something we would seriously consider.

“It’s about jobs, it’s about economics, and we’re doing everything we can,” he continued.

The state Senate last week passed a bill that would lift the ban, allow the state Athletics Commission to regulate the sport and implement permit fees and taxes.

The Assembly, however, hasn’t committed to bringing it to the floor for a vote and faces pressure from groups who think the sport is too violent. Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, D-Irondequoit, Monroe County, is expected to introduce the bill this week. UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta responded to Cuomo’s remarks, issuing a statement signaling his company plans to promote a minimum of four events in New York in each of the next three years if the ban is lifted.

“More than half of those events” would take place upstate, he said.

“I have toured the cities and arenas upstate,” Fertitta said in his statement. “I have been to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica and Albany and would look forward to attending UFC events in all of those cities.”

The state banned professional mixed martial arts in 1997, though UFC officials note they have implemented stricter rules since then.


www-lohud-com/article/20130312/NEWS/303120050/Cuomo-open-lifting-MMA-ban?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|News|s
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Herschel Walker hasn't closed the door on his MMA career just yet.

The 51-year-old former NCAA and NFL star -- not to mention Olympian -- hasn't fought in over two years, however, he told The Lavar Arrington Show with Chad Dukess on 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, that he wants to fight one more time, and he wants that fight to take place inside the UFC Octagon.
"I would love to do it again," he said. "I absolutely love MMA. I think it's an excellent sport.

"If I was younger, I would be doing it right now. Because I'm a little bit older and I have a business going, I would like to do one more fight and then, I think, it's time for me step aside and give it to the young people. But I would love to do one more fight."

When asked by Dukes where he would want that fight to take place, the former Heisman Trophy winner emphatically said "in the UFC."

Walker is 2-0 as an MMA fighter. In his pro MMA debut, he defeated Greg Nagy via third-round TKO at Strikeforce: Miami in Jan. 2010 and then stopped Scott Carson in the first round of their fight at Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Cyborg in Jan. 2011. After Zuffa purchased Strikeforce in March 2011, Walker's MMA career appeared to be over.

UFC president Dana White, who has never seemed too interested in signing Walker to the UFC, did not respond to a request for a comment on Walker's statements.



Herschel Walker wants to fight one more time ... in the UFC - MMA Fighting
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Lorenzo Fertitta sat in the front row at a mixed martial arts fight in New York.

The problem for Fertitta, chairman and chief executive of Ultimate Fighting Championship, was that front row's location -- the Capitol building in Albany, high above the action on the floor of the state Senate instead of in Madison Square Garden.

Fertitta and a number of other UFC officials, fighters and lobbyists sat in the Senate gallery last Wednesday and watched elected politicians from around New York State discuss whether or not to legalize MMA. The sport was banned in New York in 1997 under then Gov. George E. Pataki. The debate lasted more than an hour that day, and it ended with an expected victory for Fertitta and proponents of MMA as the Senate passed the bill for a fourth consecutive year. The vote was 47-14, up from 42-18 last year. The Assembly must pass its bill -- 76 yes votes are needed -- in order for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo to be able to sign it into law and make mixed martial arts a legal sport. Last December, UFC president Dana White said he asked to reserve a date at the Garden for this November. That process is expected to begin this week, and with more Assembly members signed on as sponsors than the 47 on the last year's bill. The bill would start in the Committee on Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development and work its way through more committees, provided it passes each one.

"The fact that we got more votes and we had a wider margin of victory than we did last year is a good sign," Fertitta told Newsday. "I'm no expert on politics, but you don't see very many bills get passed with that wide a margin. That's a landslide victory. Hopefully, that's a message to the Assembly to say, 'Hey come on, let's get this thing to the floor, let's debate the issues and let's take a vote.' "

Weighing pros and cons

Those issues, on the pro side, include the sport's proper regulation (unlike the no holds barred days in the mid-1990s), fighter safety and the economic impact MMA can bring to the state. The anti-MMA politicians and groups cite the violent nature of fighting, the use of chokeholds, safety of the fighters and that the sport is unfit for children.

Each year, the margin of victory in the Senate grows wider. Each year, the bill doesn't reach the floor of the Assembly for a vote.

Politics is part of the reason, as is opposition from groups such as the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, the New York State Catholic Conference and the Culinary Union of Las Vegas.

In a letter written to state lawmakers on March 12, Tucker cited tweets and videos from UFC fighters that were offensive to women.

"We oppose it until such time as they adopt a really legitimate code of conduct and start to hold people accountable for disrespectful ways of talking about women or minorities," said Deborah D. Tucker, executive director of the NCDSV. "We're not saying forever and ever and amen, people who want to do this shouldn't be able to do this." The UFC announced on Jan. 24 that it has instituted a written code of conduct for their fighters. It is expected to be made available to the public in the coming weeks.

"I would hope the next thing they do is to facilitate training on that policy," Tucker said.

Sen. Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) led the Senate debate against the bill last week, touching on the topics of submissions and chokeholds, the marketing of the sport to children and offensive symbolism on clothing and tattoos. Those items were quoted nearly verbatim from a letter to state lawmakers and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo from opposing groups, including Unite Here, parent organization of the Culinary Union.

"As the sport is advertised and marketed in the rest of this country and the world, its clear message is a message of violence," Krueger said on the floor of the Senate. "No rules apply. Fight to the death. You get some blood on you? Even better."

There are more than 30 rules that apply to MMA (no headbutts, eye gouging, groin kicks or kicks to the head of a grounded opponent, for example), and there has never been a death in the UFC's octagon. In the thousands of MMA fights since 2007, UFC or otherwise, there have been two deaths in the U.S. linked to a sanctioned event by a smaller promoter.

"They were mentioning fighters that supposedly were UFC champions that I never heard of," Fertitta said. "Just a bungle of misinformation and mistruths. Fortunately, there were 47 senators that actually did understand the issue."

Sen. Joseph Griffo, the Senate bill's sponsor, defended each point and made clear that the sport is "mixed martial arts" rather than "cage fighting" as Krueger said repeatedly.

"They talk about submissions like they're terrible," UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey said. "I mean, I did them in the Olympics. I did chokes and armbars in the Olympics, and they applauded me like I was an American hero. Then when I hear people talk about something I devoted my life to, was proud to represent my country doing, as something that's terrible, it's disappointing, a little bit insulting."

Rousey became the first American woman to medal in judo, earning bronze in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The sport is already here

As the fight for fighting continues, the sport's exposure to state residents is readily available. New Yorkers can watch MMA on pay-per-view television, cable TV and free-to-air networks. The UFC's "Ultimate Fighter" airs Tuesday nights on FX. Fox airs live fights several times a year, as does its all-sports network Fuel TV (which will become part of Fox Sports 1 this summer). Bellator airs fights live Thursday nights on Spike.

New Yorkers can easily consume content on their computers, smartphones and tablets.

"The only thing the state legislature is protecting their constituents from is actually making the ultimate opt-in choice, which is to buy a ticket and go watch it live," Fertitta said. "That's all they'r
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