Bill to Legalize MMA in New York Goes Forward, Fertitta 'Cautiously Optimistic'

Lorenzo Fertitta feels good about the prospect of legalizing pro MMA in New York this year. But he's not ready to start the party just yet.

It's hard to blame him. After years of false starts and frustration, the sport remains illegal in the Empire State. But recent changes on the state's political landscape provide a new burst of hope, and UFC honchos are swooping in to try to take advantage.

Fertitta, who co-owns UFC parent company Zuffa, was in the New York state capital of Albany Tuesday to lobby lawmakers to legalize MMA. In comments made to The Citizen newspaper in upstate New York, Fertitta said he was "cautiously optimistic" about the passage of a new MMA bill:

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We're feeling pretty good. We've had a very good reception. We've been coming up here since 2007...We definitely feel like we have support there. For the past five years, we have not been able to get a vote on the Assembly floor. But from walking up and down the halls and having conversations, we certainly have majority support there. Hopefully we'll have an opportunity this year to get the bill voted upon. 

"

New York is the only remaining U.S. state in which MMA—generally defined for these purposes as cage fighting with small gloves—remains prohibited.

At a glance Fertitta's optimism appears justified. Earlier this week, the New York Senate Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation voted 4-2 to move legalization forward. 

On the other hand, the problem has historically not existed in the state Senate, where similar bills have been approved multiple times.

So why the optimism? That lies in the New York Assembly, the state's equivalent of the House of Representatives, where such legislation has repeatedly failed to see the light of day.

That's because of Sheldon Silver, the former speaker of the Assembly, who has repeatedly prevented a legalization bill from receiving a full vote on the Assembly floor. But that roadblock melted away in January, when Silver was arrested on corruption charges.

Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Replacing Silver is Carl Heastie, who has personally sponsored bills to legalize MMA. Therein lies a stark contrast to Silver—and Zuffa's true cause for hope.

The moment of truth still lies ahead for MMA fans and UFC officials, but so far, so good in 2015. 

"We're just hopeful that the democratic process can play out the way that it should," Fertitta said in his interview with The Citizen, "which is at least give the legislators an opportunity to vote on the bill, up or down, either way."