U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood yesterday "denied the UFC’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the New York attorney general and other state officials from enforcing the state’s anti-MMA law," according to Josh Rosenblatt of VICE SPORTS. Had Wood ruled in favor of the injunction, "the door would have been open for the UFC to go ahead with a planned event at Madison Square Garden on April 23, the first professional MMA event in New York since the state banned the sport" in '97. Attorneys for the UFC and parent company Zuffa last week sent a request to Wood "asking her to make a decision on their request for an injunction" by yesterday so that the promotion "would have time to plan and market the April event." Wood in her ruling cited a '41 court decision that states that federal courts "shouldn’t make decisions on the constitutionality of state laws that are open to interpretation until state courts have had a chance to make their own determination" (VICESPORTS.com, 1/25). UFC COO Lawrence Epstein said that the promotion "can appeal the decision." ESPN.com's Brett Okamato noted the UFC "will likely be forced to relocate the pay-per-view event, which could include former light heavyweight champion Jon Jones' return from a disciplinary-related suspension." The state's ban on MMA "can be lifted through the legislative process" in '16. In each of the past six years, the state Senate "has passed a bill that would legalize the sport, but that bill has never made it to the Assembly for a vote" (ESPN.com, 1/25). In N.Y., Lia Eustachewich notes professional MMA is "legal in every state but New York." However, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo "supports it and included it in his budget proposal this month" (N.Y. POST, 1/26).
FIGHTING CHANCE: In Las Vegas, Adam Hill noted that UFC's women's bantamweight division, which was “once seen simply” as Ronda Rousey and everyone else, has become a "much more viable weight division almost overnight.” That was never more evident than last Thursday, when champion Holly Holm and top contender Miesha Tate “did a media tour around Manhattan promoting their title bout at UFC 197 on March 5 at the MGM Grand Garden.” Tate said that Holm's win over Rousey in November “added much-needed intrigue to the division.” Tate: “There's going to be a lot of talented women who are up and coming and very dangerous. Maybe not everyone knows them because they're not plastered all over television and commercials, but it doesn't mean there's not women that can be a threat to win the belt at any point, and that's great” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/22).
