New York State passes bill legalizing professional MMA

The New York State Assembly has passed a bill legalizing professional mixed martial arts in the state.

The official vote was 113-25 in favor of legalization.

The bill will now go for signature at the office of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has been openly supportive of legalizing MMA, reports Mark La Monica of Newsday Sports.

"I do support MMA because it is an economic generator,” Cuomo told La Monica on Tuesday.

Following Cuomo's signature, the New York State Athletic Commission will have 120 days to adopt guidelines and regulations.

The State Senate had passed the legislation each of the past seven years, but the bill has come to a halt in the Assembly each time. New York had been the only remaining state to still have a ban on professional MMA.

The mixed martial arts legislation reached the New York State Assembly floor for a full vote Tuesday afternoon, and members debated for over three hours.

The Assembly's Ways & Means Committee, Codes Committee, and the Committee for Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development voted in favor of legalizing the sport earlier in the day.

The UFC has already reserved a date in November to host a fight card at the famous Madison Square Garden.

New York native Ryan LaFlare, who is a welterweight fighter in the UFC, told Newsday last week that he would be "calling the UFC and begging to be put on the first card" once the bill was passed.