Lorenzo Fertitta Promises 'Ridiculous UFC 100-Style Card' for MSG Debut

[No More Sorrow]

The UFC's fight to legalize mixed martial arts in New York continues, and while company officials are still optimistic their dream will finally become a reality this year, there's still no word on when or if it will happen before Albany's legislative session ends in June.

Of course, last year the UFC thought it had finally broken through when, for a second straight year, the New York State Senate voted to pass a bill that would sanction mixed martial arts in the state. Unfortunately, the bill, 1707-A, never made it to the Assembly floor for a vote, for a second straight year. The bill would need a vote in its favor from both the Senate and the Assembly to pass.

If lawmakers are looking for an extra reason to finally get this done, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta recently said the organization wouldn't put on an ordinary event when they're finally allowed to make their Madison Square Garden debut.

"When we come [to New York]," he said, "we're going to blow it out. We're going to put on a ridiculous UFC 100-style card, stacked, big, open to the public weigh-ins, press conferences, after-parties, the whole deal. Everybody will be there. This is going to be an event that will remind you of 1971 when Ali fought Frazier for the first time and every celebrity in New York had to be there.

"The biggest problem that I'm going to have is going to be where to sit everybody and who gets seats and who doesn't. It's going to be crazy."

Think the UFC boss is anxious to finally put on an event in New York or what?

So let's say the bill passes in June, how quickly could the UFC hold an event at MSG, which would most certainly be the venue of choice for its return to the Empire State?

Well, the two factors to consider are how quickly the New York State Athletic Commission could adopt the appropriate MMA rules and regulations (for example, Ontario announced that it would sanctioned MMA in Aug. 2010 but only held its first event in April 2011) and the UFC's crowded events calendar.

The good news is that Fertitta said he would do everything in his power to bring an event to MSG as soon as he was able to do so.

"If it passed (by June), we would move mountains to get something done by fall."

UFC 7, which took place on Sept. 8, 1995, is the lone UFC event held in New York. The state banned the sport in 1997.

UFC 100's card was pretty awesome, We Had Lesnar/Mir, GSP/Thiago Alves and Hendo/Bisping as the three main events. For their debut at MSG i honestly see, Silva vs. GSP, Jon Jones debut at Heavyweight, and at least one title fight. I will be making the drive to New York once they get a show set for MSG, be probably one of their biggest show ever.

 

[Troy]

I really hope that New York legalises MMA very soon, it shouldn't be delayed again and again. Can't wait for a UFC event at MSG if they are going to stack it like UFC 100. I can see them going over the top and making it a completely stacked card to show New York what they have been missing out on.