NY Democrat opposed to UFC arrested on corruption charges

The arrest of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver could clear the path for legalizing MMA bouts in New York State, where Las Vegas-based Ultimate Fighting Championship stands to generate millions of dollars in fight event ticket sales.

Silver, a Manhattan, N.Y., Democrat was arrested Thursday on charges that he used his position as one of the state’s most-powerful politicians to amass millions of dollars in bribes and kickbacks, federal prosecutors said.

As Speaker of the Legislature’s Democrat-controlled lower house, Silver held significant power over the operation of New York government, particularly over the real estate industry and health care funding.

Silver, 70, was taken into custody by FBI agents and charged with two counts of “honest services fraud, one count of conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, one count of extortion under color of official right and one count of conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right,” said Preet Bharara, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The charges, if resulting in a conviction, carry a maximum penalty of 100 years in prison.

UFC has been feuding with Silver over proposed legislation that would legalize mixed martial arts fights in New York state.

Silver has repeatedly refused to introduce an MMA bill on the floor of the New York Assembly for a vote, which means the Empire State is the only state in the U.S. to ban MMA and UFC fight events. The MMA bill was endorsed by the New York State Senate.

UFC President Dana White has blasted Silver in the past for holding up the MMA bill, even taking to Twitter to ridicule New York state. He has said that UFC could hold several fight shows a year in New York state if MMA bouts were sanctioned. MMA fights have been illegal in New York since 1997.

UFC officials, who travel annually to Albany, N.Y. to lobby for MMA legislation, were keenly aware of Silver’s arrest.

White said in a text that he has no direct comment about Silver’s arrest, but added, “We remain confident that 2015 will be the year that MMA gets regulated in New York. The (Silver) situation doesn’t change our strategy at all.”

UFC, owned by Zuffa LLC, also issued this statement: “We are optimistic that in 2015 New York will join the 49 other states and most countries around the world in legalizing and regulating mixed martial arts.

“Just as the State Senate has passed this bill for the last five years with overwhelming bipartisan support, we know that there is overwhelming bipartisan support for the bill in the Assembly. We are hopeful that this will be the year.”

For years, White has accused Culinary Local 226 of working with Silver to not allow the MMA bill to reach the New York State Assembly floor.

But Assembly members who oppose legalizing MMA fights in New York argue that UFC fights are barbaric and anti-woman. And in 2013, women’s advocates worldwide demanded UFC adopt a zero tolerance policy for rape jokes, misogyny and sexism, with people and women’s groups in 47 states and 24 countries signing a petition calling for that policy.

To counter that argument, UFC officials have recruited female MMA participants to press events to publicize the sport’s benefits.

CNN contributed to this report. Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel