via www.opednews.com

MMA Weekly has the scoop

The last day of the legislative body’s 2009 session ended Monday, stranding several bills under consideration including one to legalize MMA in the Empire State.

Continue reading this post »

Just watching the "Inside MMA'"special of the Affliction: Day of Reckoning weigh-ins and as all the other fighters, even Arlovski, was introduced by the same guy, Jerry Millen took the mic and decided to introduce Fedor.  Apparently not knowing he could be heard, "El Guapo" had this to say.

That's the asshole... Oh did I just say this on TV! Haha!  He thinks he a rapper now.

Has a more true statement ever been uttered? At least Bas knows the truth about Jerry "Scumbag" Millen.

Bill 1-11458-A, designed to regulate the sport of MMA in New York is not on the committee’s agenda this week, but could be voted on as early as next week.

MMA Weekly spoke to Assemblyman Bob Reilly, a democratic member of the committee who represents the 109th district of New York, who strongly opposes the bill.

MMAWeekly.com: Can you tell me about your feelings on the current bill and about mixed martial arts in general?

Reilly: My feeling about the bill is that it’s a flawed piece of legislation. And my feeling about mixed martial arts is that there are many problems with it. It really is a glorification of brutality and violence. Many people believe that violence in the media, or any portrayal of violence, or violence itself as I think happens in mixed martial arts, in fact, makes people immune to violence and in fact promotes violence.

In New York State, we pass a lot of laws to stop violence, especially among young people in schools, but domestic violence (as well). I think that this basically is a glorification of violence, but it certainly promotes violence. In itself, I think it’s a very brutal sport that creates, obviously, physical harm to the participants, and I don’t think there’s any other sport who’s purpose is to harm your opponent. But we know that in mixed martial arts, that, in fact, is one of the purposes.

I think economically, it’s a very poor thing for New York State, that just the economics of it would not be beneficial to our state. It just draws money out of the state. I compare it to gambling and what happens in gambling. If you take Atlantic City for example, you have casinos that are going broke, surrounded by slums. If you look at Las Vegas, basically, the same thing is happening, where 20 months in a row gambling revenue has decreased, and Las Vegas and the growth there has created many slum areas in Las Vegas.

There is much, much more at MMA Weekly.

This guy makes absolutely zero sense in his arguments. Comparing MMA to domestic violence is just absolutely ridiculous and the below quote is even more absurd.

I don’t think there’s any other sport who’s purpose is to harm your opponent. But we know that in mixed martial arts, that, in fact, is one of the purposes.

Apparently he has never heard of boxing, which of course has been sanctioned in New York for a very long time.

Let's be honest, more than likely there will always be people like this in our beloved sport.  People that refuse to even give it a chance because they see this world through a keyhole and are afraid of embracing new and different things.

What us fans like to call the "beauty" of the sport, people like this will never have the privilege of witnessing.  If someone like this would actually watch an MMA fight where 2 warriors go to war with each other for 15 minutes and then embrace afterward, they might be able to appreciate it. 

The purpose is not to "harm" your opponent, it's to win.  Its the thrill of victory and after its over you hope and check to make sure your opponent isn't hurt.  Oh well, it's his loss that he can't see what we see in this wonderful sport.

via www.strikezonedortmund.eu

In an interview with Tatame.com, UFC Middleweight king Anderson Silva discussed many issues including his long rumored, but not yet confirmed fight with fellow Brazilian Thales Leites.     

Is already right the fight against Thales Leites, in UFC 97? How do you think it will be?

 

I don’t know yet, but I think that it’ll be against him. I don’t know, it’s hard to say. Fight is fight, there’s no how to say how it’ll be, I just have to train. He’ll have the opportunity of fight for the belt, I hope that he’s training well, because we’re too… To fight against a Brazilian is always complicated, even because is a title fight, but it’s cool, we’re professionals and we’ll do our jobs.

Anderson also discussed the recent losses by his close friends Wanderlei Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Did you go to Las Vegas to watch the UFC 92? What did you think?

 

I wasn’t there, I was solving my things at Los Angeles and I didn’t go to watch the fights, but unfortunately it wasn’t a good night for the Brazilians. Let’s come back, see where we did wrong and made right and find to improve. It’s a new year, everything new, let’s forget the pass. This already makes part of the pass. The fight is over and it is already pass, now is to think in the future, the next fights and challenges that will come.

 

Where do you think that they mistook in the fights?

 

I wasn’t very much with Minotauro in the last times, because I was busy doing my things… He must has given a train with the guys there (Wanderlei Silva’s team, in Las Vegas), but by what I know, it’s not excuse, Rodrigo had just left out of the hospital, stayed intern some time and wasn’t very well, so… It’s not an excuse, but we don’t know what really happened, only him can tell what really have happened. This is past now, we have to think in the next fights and to run after, see another time what we mistook in the year that passed and start to improve.

Finally, Silva talked about the possibilities of his training partner, Lyoto Machida, getting a title shot.

How do you see the situation of Lyoto Machida into UFC, who already made five fights, continues undefeated, but doesn’t gets a titleshot?

 

This is not due to us. Lyoto already proved to everybody that has conditions of represent this category and fight for the belt, but isn’t due to me, but to the promoters of the events give this chance. He already proved that, now is to wait the next fight, to hope that make a good fight, a fight that defines once for all his condition like one of the pretenders to fight for the belt. As him as Thiago are big fighters, it’ll be hard for the both, but we’re supporting him (Lyoto). I’m his friend, I train with him and I’m cheering for him. For the belt, he’ll have to wait, and it is due to the owners of the event to give this chance for him. He already proved that can, now it is to wait.