Mixed Martial Arts in Massachusetts

Posted on November 27, 2009 by David Nelmark

A Massachusetts blog that keeps a close eye on government happenings has reported that Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed into law a bill making the Bay State the 42nd state to regulate mixed martial arts.

MMALB has not been able to confirm the signing, but even if it has not yet occurred, it seems to be only a matter of time.  According to the official history of the bill, the Massachusetts Senate passed a draft 35-1, and the House of Representatives approved a modified version 144-10.   The Senate concurred in an amendment made by the House, and the bill went before the Governor on November 23, 2009.  

Dana White is excited that the UFC will get to promote an event in his former hometown, and he should be equally excited about the manner in which the bill has sailed through the Massachusetts Legislature.  With the oft-discussed New York bill still in limbo, having 94% of legislators supporting the bill in a nearby state can only help the cause.

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"Banned" is a Misnomer

Posted on August 17, 2009 by David Nelmark

There is a common misconception that most states had banned mixed martial arts until Zuffa bought the UFC and got the Nevada State Athletic Commission to sanction it.  (Note: the linked article is just a retrospective illustrating the purchase; its author, Todd Martin, has no such misconception.)  In fact, most states' athletic commissions simply had not issued rules to oversee the sport.  A notable exception is New York, which did actually ban professional MMA in 1997.  (New York, like Iowa, continues to allow amateur MMA with a "hands off" approach.)

Because the UFC will not put on shows where they are not under the auspices of an athletic commission that particular organization is, in effect, still banned in a few states where MMA is legal, but not regulated.  These states include Massachusetts, although momentum is turning in the Bay State.  Other promoters have no such policy, and sometimes go to states like Alabama (which had no commission until May 7, 2009) to promote fights that had been rejected by other states' athletic commissions.

 

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