Dana White guarantees MMA in New York this year

The UFC’s struggles to get MMA sanctioned in the State of New York are well documented. The promotion has tried and failed to get the sport legalized through legislative means in the past. Near the end of 2011, the UFC took things one step further and filed a lawsuit against the State, claiming that denying MMA fighters the right to compete was a violation of their First Amendment right.

Despite the promotion’s ongoing struggles, UFC President Dana White recently made a bold statement regarding where the UFC stands as far as New York, “Real close.  It’s going to happen and I guarantee it’s going to happen this year.” As far as who he would like to see compete in the first New York card, White revealed, “It’s going to depend on when it happens, timing, and everything else.  It would be nice to go in there with, probably, Jon Jones.” – for more see MMAFightCorner.com

The only time the UFC held an event in New York was back in September 1995 when they presented UFC 7: The Brawl in Buffalo, a fight card that featured an eight man tournament that was won by Marco Ruas and a Superfight between Ken Shamrock and Oleg Taktarov, which ended in a draw.

Further Reading: UFC sues New York to overturn MMA ban