Iceland’s Gunnar Nelson, right, and Rick Story of the United States fight in the ring during the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night at the Globe Arena in Stockholm on October 4, 2014. (JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP/Getty Images)
ALBANY – Ultimate Fighting Championship has filed a legal challenge to the state’s ban on the mixed martial arts fighting. At the same time, UFC announced a scheduled bout for April 23 next year at Madison Square Garden — an event that if it were to take place would likely require a court injunction on the ban.
UFC in August filed an appeal in the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit which claims the ban on MMA violates the First Amendment rights of both fans and athletes who participate in the sport.
Lawmakers in Albany were close this June to legalizing the sport on the state level, with plans to integrate an insurance structure for sports like boxing and wrestling in addition to MMA, but the measure ultimately stalled in the final days of the session.
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