Fans of watching two guys in their underwear elbow each other in the face while Joe Rogan screams at them will still have to go to New Jersey to see it live: a bill legalizing Mixed Martial Arts won't make it to this year's legislative session. A spokesman for Democrat and State Assembly leader Sheldon Silver tells the Times that "there is no clear sense of confidence," so there won't be a vote. “All I want is a vote on the Assembly floor,” Marc Rater, the senior VP of government and regulatory affairs of U.F.C. says. "If it doesn’t pass, it doesn’t pass. Not to get a vote by the full Assembly, to me, is un-American.” Beating the sh*t out of someone atop a Bud Light logo? American. more ›

While New York's same-sex couples prepare for their big day, the MMA community will have to wait for the next legislative session for any hope that their sport of kings will be legalized. Earlier this month Speaker Sheldon Silver doused any hopes for legalization, despite the bill passing the Senate and speeding through the Assembly's various committees. "It's a promotion of violence at a time when we're trying to eliminate violence," Assemblyman Rob Reilly tells the Times, making us wonder if he's suggesting for supporters to wait until violence is back in season. How much longer must New Yorkers wait to feel the joy that only comes with watching a grown man do a cartwheel into another man's face? more ›

Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of the octagon: it seemed like the page was about to turn for Mixed Martial Arts aficionados—after a long struggle to get their beloved, bloody sport legalized in New York, the MMA bill was overwhelmingly approved by the Assembly Tourism Committee this week. But the bill was then unceremoniously bodyslammed by none other than the heavyweight champion of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver. "There does not appear to be widespread support in the Assembly for this legislation," he told the News. more ›

New York lovers of mostly-naked dudes mercilessly pummeling each other with their fists inside an octagonal cage to pulsating Danzig: we are almost to the mountaintop! The Republican-controlled state senate has approved the legalization and regulation of Mixed Martial Arts (or MMA, if you don't like them fancy $5 words) and the bill is now off to the Democrat-dominated Assembly, where in the past it has died at the hands of fun-hating politicians. While the Daily News reports that Governor Cuomo "has not taken a formal position on the sport," we're sure he'll come around once he feels the steely elbow of Rochester native Jon "Bones" Jones. BOOYAH! more ›

We've heard that Mixed Martial Arts fighting is violent and scary and bloody, but apparently it can also be helpful. Joseph Lozito, who was attacked by murder suspect Maksim Gelman on the subway over the weekend, said he was able to fight him off because of years of fighting knowledge gained by watching UFC fights, and as thanks for his work got to meet UFC president Dana White. White said to Lozito and his wife, "I want to have you both down to a fight and have you sit at my table for the fight in New Jersey." more ›

If boxing already means men get repeatedly punched in the head so bad it can cause brain damage, we don't think that Mixed Martial Arts fighting could be that much worse. But it's still illegal in New York, which means New Jersey is seeing all the MMA action—and cash. NJ.com reports that an MMA event at Madison Square Garden would attract 10,000 local attendees, and would net the city around $1.4 million per event. But it's not like the city needs the money, right? more ›

The FDNY Pension Board realizes they may have made a bad call, and is reviewing the case a man who was awarded $75,000 a year for "lung problems," yet still finds the strength to be an MMA fighter. A spokesman for Mayor Bloomberg told the Post, "We will review this case and any case where we think someone with a disability pension does not have the condition documented by the medical board." The board has only re-examined a retiree's disability pension once, when they found firefighter Gary Muhrke had the strength to win the first stairway race at the Empire State Building. But they believed him when he said the strength needed to run up stairs was different than that needed to fight fires. more ›

This former firefighter has the right idea. After retiring with a $75,000 a year disability pension seven years ago for "lung problems" and PTSD, Joseph Giuffrida seems to be breathing just fine as a mixed-martial-arts fighter. He's also allegedly taken up SCUBA diving and hiking. One source told the Post, "All of a sudden he was cured." Tax-free pension will do that to a person. The FDNY Medical Board has been approving pension requests even without proof of disabilities ever since a board member was shot by a disgruntled firefighter who had been denied coverage. more ›

Amidst oil spillage, budget shortfalls, and Drakegate, it's difficult to keep sane. The New York State Senate must have sensed this when they approved (albeit narrowly) the legalization of mixed martial arts yesterday, providing New Yorkers a new avenue of vicarious stress release. With the 32-26 vote on Bill No. S2165B, which "authorizes mixed martial arts events in this state" and "imposes taxes on gross receipts of such events," the state may finally be establishing MMA as a mainstream sport cash cow. more ›

You may have to suspend disbelief here, but we assure you this is real life; you didn't just wake up in a 1984 Ron Howard film. Somewhat recently there were multiple mermaid sightings off the coast of Kiryat Yam (near Haifa in Northern Israel) which prompted the town to offer up a $1 million reward for anyone who could prove the mythical creature exists. Once this news traveled all the way to New York, the Brooklyn-based Mermaid Medical Association got involved. (Also: there is a Mermaid Medical Association.) more ›