Massachusetts Legalizes MMA, UFC Preparing For Late-Summer Event

Amidst one of the most embarrassing Patriots defeats in recent memory, a beam of bright freakin' sunshine shone through as Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill legalizing mixed martial arts in the Bay State, clearing the way for the UFC to put Boston in its rotation of major cities for future shows.

For those of us in New England, who have waited and clamored for this moment, it's finally happened and there's no turning back.

Massachusetts becomes the 42nd state to legalize the sport and one of the few major markets left to tackle. While the fight to do the same in New York City, Toronto and Vancouver are going to be a bit more dogged, one of the two major jewels of the Northeast sports scene is now secure.

UFC VP of Regulation and Govt. Affairs Marc Ratner told the Boston Herald Monday night that he has already contacted the TD Garden to confirm previously held dates and said there will likely be an event in Boston in either July or August.

This would seem to contradict previous reports that the UFC would debut at Fenway Park, given the Red Sox will be in full season swing. However, the Red Sox do go on major road trips in July and have three open weekends in August as outside possibilities. But you'd think that for the first event, the threat of rain might be enough to warrant staying inside. A UFC rainout? That would be weird.

Regardless, Monday night marked another major milestone for the sport and a huge step forward for us here in New England that have previously been forced to travel to see a major event. The local promotions will also get a major benefit here as well as the region will get more and more events featuring the stars of tomorrow in more intimate settings.

Despite the Pats, it's a good night after all. 

Josh Nason has published MMA, wrestling and boxing blog Ropes, Ring and Cage.com since 2007. He is a contributor to Fight Magazine and Bleacher Report and appears regularly on Fight Network Radio . Follow him on Twitter .