In the process of advocating for MMA in his home state of New York, former UFC middleweight champion Chris Weidman got a rare inside look at the process of lawmaking.

Turns out, all those wacky arguments we heard prior to legalization didn’t come out of nowhere.

Weidman (12-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC), who next rematches champ Luke Rockhold (15-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on June 4 at UFC 199, was shocked to hear what was being said about the sport behind closed doors.

When a handful of New York assembly members took the floor and tried to link MMA to slavery, gay porn, domestic violence and child abuse, Weidman was surprised – but not that surprised.

“For them to finally say it publicly, I was just like, ‘Wow,’” Weidman told MMAjunkie. “It just shows how desperate they are.

“There has to be someone with a thumb pushing on them to say the things that they were saying. They can’t actually believe it. They’re saying it because they’re being told to say it.”

Ultimately, all that pontification was in vain, and the Assembly floor voted 113-25 in favor of legalization, setting in motion the removal of an MMA ban implemented in 1997.

Had a previous legal maneuver been successful, Weidman might have gotten a chance to win back his belt later this month at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Instead, he’ll face Rockhold a second time at Los Angeles’ The Forum, which hosts UFC 199. The main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

But next time Weidman competes, he knows where he’s headed.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be Luke, but I’ll be fighting in New York my next one after this one,” he said.

Check out the full video above.

For more on UFC 199, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.