Jerry Lai – USA TODAY Sports
Congratulations, Big Apple! Alex Rodriguez can still swing a bat, but Jon Jones still can’t fight.
New York needs to allow MMA. It’s an embarrassment to the state and the sport that lawmakers won’t allow MMA in the state of New York.
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A fallen icon like Rodriguez, accused for years of illegal use of performance-enhancement drugs, can play baseball for now, but New York won’t let some of the best, most well-conditioned, drug-free athletes demonstrate high-level martial arts.
It’s the height of hypocrisy — unintentional as it may be, as the New York Yankees organization likely wants him out too. A-Rod, of course, is a appealing his 211-game suspension, which likely won’t be heard until the offseason. During that time, he can play.
The New York legislature has been wrangling over the legalization of MMA for the last few years. The public sentiment is in favor of the sport, as has been a majority of the legislature. Still, the issue has never been brought up for a vote largely because of behind-the-scenes political posturing, and opposition from the New York assembly speaker Sheldon Silver and a powerful union that supports him.
Recently, however, GOP minority leader Brian Kolb issued a statement calling for the state to vote on the legalization of MMA.
New York is stuck in the dark ages on this issue.
MMA is certainly no more dangerous or violent than professional boxing, which has historically been a lifeblood for the state. MMA fights consists of mostly three, five-minute rounds, or five, five-minute rounds if it is a title fight. That’s less time than a boxing match, which consists of 10, three-minute rounds or 12, three-minute rounds if it is a title fight.
What about the NFL? There’s far more body and head contact in the NFL than in MMA. In the NFL, guys get carried off on a stretchers and driven back to the locker room on carts. That’s doesn’t happen in MMA.
It’s possible that many people still don’t understand “ultimate fighting.” For one, even though the UFC, which stands for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, is the most dominant player in the sport, it’s not really “ultimate fighting.” There’s no eye-gouging, biting, scratching, hair-pulling, low-blow shots, or eye-poking. Kicks to the head of a down opponent aren’t even allowed.
Mixed martial arts is a very controlled competition. Fights are typically stopped quickly. Unlike boxing, MMA fighters aren’t getting hit in the head for 30-36 minutes. In MMA, fighters stand with each other, take the fight to the ground and grapple, or hold on to each other to buy time.
Perhaps MMA is hurt by the fact that it takes place inside a cage, which just sounds bad to the average person no matter how you describe it. But MMA is not a WWE “Hell in a Cell” match where they get to use the cage as a weapon, or jump off the top of the steel structure Mick-Foley style. In MMA, the cage is just there for appearance, and only comes into play if fighters push off of it to power out of a move.
None of the arguments against the ban on MMA in New York make sense other than just political posturing. One day, and probably as soon as next year, MMA will get approved in New York and the UFC will hold one of the biggest shows in history inside Madison Square Garden, and all of the opposition to the sport will be a laughable, distant memory. Just like A-Rod.
For now, New Yorkers can watch A-Rod, but they can’t watch Jones, a 26-year-old drug-free phenom.
Joshua Molina is a mixed martial arts and pro wrestling writer for www.rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECMolina and add him to your network on Google.
