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NY MMA writer Jim Genia wrote a feature for Deadspin on the insanity that is the NY MMA scene.
Check out the full story.
"There have been many contestants who have been banned from regulated combative sport in New Jersey because of subdural hematoma, hepatitis C, HIV, detached retinas, and other medical concerns who have competed freely in amateur MMA and kickboxing in New York under the direct supervision of state-approved sanctioning bodies, or at shows without such direct supervision," --- Nick Lembo, Chief Counsel for New Jersey's State Athletic Commission
Things get bloody not long after the fight goes from technical battle to all-out brawl, and the former Hofstra wrestler and the kickboxer from Brooklyn up the tempo, mixing thudding kicks to the thigh with straight shots to the face. The venue—an event space in Chinatown called the Capitale—echoes with cheers. A photographer at ringside wipes off a spot of blood that landed on her cheek, her reward for being so close.
This is New York, where on most Friday and Saturday nights a ring or cage is set up somewhere, with combatants hurting one another for nothing but applause and a primal sense of accomplishment. State law bans professional mixed martial arts bouts, but amateur fights—under both MMA and kickboxing rules—are legal.
The problem is that while these fights are nominally regulated by private organizations, some of them are, in practice, not regulated at all.
This is New York, where on most Friday and Saturday nights a ring or cage is set up somewhere, with combatants hurting one another for nothing but applause and a primal sense of accomplishment. State law bans professional mixed martial arts bouts, but amateur fights—under both MMA and kickboxing rules—are legal.
The problem is that while these fights are nominally regulated by private organizations, some of them are, in practice, not regulated at all.
