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New York News

Push On For Legal Mixed Martial Arts In NY

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas

Published January 27, 2016 at 1:49 AM EST

Former mixed martial arts champion Chris Weidman wants his title back and wants to fight in New York, where the sport is banned.

Surrounded by lawmakers Tuesday, the Long Island native says he'd like to fight in Madison Square Garden, a short train ride away for fans and fellow fighters who train at his Garden City gym.

Republican Sen. Joe Griffo says the Senate will vote again to legalize the sport this year.

Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle says they're getting "very close" to having enough votes to pass legislation to regulate the sport.

Critics say the mix of boxing, wrestling, kick boxing and jiu-jitsu is too violent.

Fans say it's no more violent than other sports when properly regulated.

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New York News mixed martial arts

Dave Lucas

Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.

See stories by Dave Lucas