A bill that would legalize and regulate mixed martial arts (MMA) in New York has overwhelming passed the state assembly by a lopsided 113-25 vote. MMA, an extreme combat sport in which contestants are permitted to use the fighting techniques of wrestling and boxing but also those of martial arts such as kickboxing, judo, and karate, has enjoyed something of a renaissance the last two years.
Direct TV, the creators of the popular MMA TV show Kingdom, featuring a cast of buff and perpetually sweaty fighters, features Nick Jonas as a closeted gay MMA athlete, has helped to draw people in who might otherwise have stayed away from what many consider to be nothing more than an excuse for violence.
And that hesitation was on full display in the debate over whether or not to pass the law. State Assemblyman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) likened MMA to the savages of slavery and police brutality, hinting at the case where Eric Garner died after he was placed in a choke hold by police in Staten Island in 2014, reports USA Today. “You know how we feel about the choke hold in New York City,” Barron said. “You can put him in a choke hold and the ref has to be determining whether he got choked enough or she got choked enough. This (sport) is not something we should legalize or regulate.”
Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-New York) said MMA stars are part of “dumbing down of America” and she voiced concerns that if the bill became law that children would be more inclined to fight at school.
Others took into account the injuries an MMA fighter sustains. “”I would like to think personally we should hold off longer (in approving pro MMA in the state) especially since the brain research has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years,” Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) said. “I see this as New York being a holdout, showing, again, that we are leaders. I would like to see us remain leaders and wait for the health research to be more thorough in terms of the long-term impact on these fighters.”
But perhaps the most novel argument came from Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell (D-Manhattan), brother of actress Rosie O’Donnell. Daniel, who is gay, argued that the fighting involved is like gay porn. “I thought I should learn a little bit about (MMA),” he said. “Well, I should really like it. You have two nearly naked, hot men trying to dominate each other. That’s gay porn with a different ending.”
O’Donnell concluded his remarks by saying that he would “take a cold shower” and hopes the state would remain the only one in the nation where pro MMA would remain banned.
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