New York might be close to sanctioning MMA

Today could be a monumental day in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s yearslong journey to have professional mixed martial arts sanctioned in New York.

According to the New York Daily News, the State Assembly’s Tourism, Parks, Arts and Sports Development Committee will consider the issue during its meeting this morning and potentially pass the bill to the Assembly floor for a full vote.

It has been a long process. The state Senate has passed the bill seven straight years, but it has yet to be put up for a vote in the Assembly, even though it is believed there always have been enough votes to pass.

“I would say in the words of Jerry Garcia, ‘What a long strange trip it’s been,” UFC vice president of regulatory affairs Marc Ratner said on a phone call Monday from Albany, New York.

UFC officials have spent years and millions of dollars lobbying for the ban on professional MMA to be lifted in the last state where one exists.

Ratner said he has been to Albany more than 20 times in the past seven years. His efforts might finally pay off if a vote takes place today.

“I would say I’ve always used the words cautiously optimistic. I’d upgrade that to optimistic,” he said. “I’d say in a football analogy, we’re first-and-goal at the 1. This is as close as we’ve been.”

The UFC scheduled an event for Madison Square Garden in April and unsuccessfully tried to seek relief through the courts to go through with the plans. The legendary arena most likely would host a UFC event in short order after the law passes, with a November date tentatively booked.

Former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight champ Jon Jones, both New York natives, have been among the fighters to appear before the legislature to lobby for legalization of professional MMA. Both want to fight on the first UFC card at MSG.

But Michael Britt, UFC vice president of global business development and government relations, cautioned in a statement last week when the plan to take the bill to the floor was revealed that the process is not complete.

“This is a big step forward for MMA, the athletes and the huge fan base the sport enjoys in New York; however, there are still more steps before New York finally crosses the hurdle to legalize professional MMA,” he said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would have to sign the bill, which is not believed to be an obstacle, as he included MMA revenue in his budget for this year in anticipation of the law. According to the Daily News, the state athletic commission then would have 120 days to adopt guidelines and regulations.

UFC officials have pledged four events per year in the state for the first three years after the law passes.

LAS VEGAS CARD UNVEILED

Unbeaten bantamweight prospects Cody Garbrandt and Thomas Almeida will meet in the main event of a UFC card May 29 at Mandalay Bay Events Center, the organization officially announced Saturday.

UFC Fight Night 88 also will feature the featherweight debut of former bantamweight champ Renan Barao, who will fight Jeremy Stephens.

Barao lost the 135-pound title to T.J. Dillashaw in 2014 and dropped a rematch for the belt last year. He also has had issues making the weight, including an incident that forced him to pull out of the first rematch with Dillashaw the night before the fight, prompting the move up a division.

Almeida, 20-0 as a professional, has won his past three by knockout and is 4-0 since signing with the UFC. The 24-year-old Brazilian has won fight-night bonuses for all four of his UFC bouts.

Garbrandt, 24, has knocked out two of his three UFC opponents and is 8-0 overall.

The main card includes two key welterweight bouts, as Rick Story takes on Tarec Saffiedine and Lorenz Larkin fights Jorge Masvidal.

Also, Paul Felder will meet Josh Burkman in a lightweight fight, and Vitor Miranda will take on Chris Camozzi in a middleweight bout.

Abel Trujillo, who was supposed to compete on a card Saturday in Australia only to be forced out because of visa issues, has been added to the preliminary card in a lightweight bout against Diego Ferreira.

At least two more bouts, probably female fights, are expected to be added to the card.

The event will air on Fox Sports 1.

KELLY TO TAKE BREAK

After securing his fourth win in five UFC bouts and because he’s 38, it would have made sense for middleweight Dan Kelly to start lobbying for bigger opportunities as soon as possible.

Instead, Kelly announced he probably won’t fight again until late in the year after knocking out prospect Antonio Carlos Junior on the UFC Fight Night 85 card Saturday in Brisbane, Australia.

Kelly, a four-time Olympian in judo for Australia, said he would be part of the coaching staff for the country’s judo contingent in Rio de Janeiro this summer.

“I’m not sure I’m (supposed) to be announcing that, but anyway,” he said, laughing. “I emailed (UFC matchmaker) Joe Silva about it, and he said, ‘Yeah, go ahead and do that.’ ”

As for whom he wants to fight when he returns, Kelly said he would do some research.

“I have to go back and look at the rankings,” he said. “But keep making me the underdog. I think I’ve been an underdog almost every fight in the UFC. It works for me.”

Kelly is 11-1 since turning pro, with 11 of the fights coming after his last Olympics in 2012.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj