UFC back in New York? Courts to decide

September 29, 2015

In an aggressive move to bring mixed martial arts (MMA) back to the state of New York, UFC announced plans to hold an event at Madison Square Garden on April 23, 2016 featuring UFC’s top champions. Simultaneously, UFC is also taking additional steps through the federal courts to ensure the event’s success.

The declaration of this plan could be characterized as bold or perhaps even brazen considering how MMA is currently banned in the State of New York and has been since 1997.

But UFC officials appear to be moving forward under the assumption that all of that will be changing shortly.

In August, UFC filed an appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit – the federal appellate court with jurisdiction over New York – stating that New York’s prohibition of regulated professional MMA events violates the First Amendment rights of athletes and fans throughout the state.

On September 28, UFC filed a new case in federal court, reiterating its claim that the New York law banning MMA events is unconstitutional. This out-of-date law is too unclear for the public to understand, and has allowed regulators in New York to pick and choose arbitrarily what events they will permit. Events featuring every combat sport except MMA seem to be allowed in New York, though this is not explicitly stated in the law. The statute, and the state’s pattern of enforcing it, violates the Constitution’s prohibition on unconstitutionally vague laws.

Later this week, UFC will ask a federal judge to issue a preliminary injunction against New York state officials enforcing its unconstitutional law. Without such an injunction, the event at Madison Square Garden will not be able to proceed.

“We believe fight fans have waited long enough to experience live UFC events in the state of New York and we are thrilled to announce our first event at Madison Square Garden,” UFC Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein said. “Professional MMA is legal around of the world and it is about time New York followed suit.”


By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services

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