Ever since the New York ban on mixed martial arts ended on the first of September, fighters outside of the UFC and Bellator have been fighting their own battle to compete in the state. That’s because while the MMA ban has been lifted, the NYSAC has made the decision to impose outrageous insurance requirements that fight promoters can’t possibly pay for – outside of the Billionaires that run the UFC and Viacom-backed Bellator.

Campbell McLaren, the CEO of Combate Americas and co-founder of the UFC, is going to beat the bigger organizations to the punch and make a splash in New York on Oct. 14, bringing his Hispanic sports and media franchise --the first of its kind-- to the Empire State. McLaren sold the UFC back in 2001 for $2 million.

Unlike its competitors though, Combate Americas won’t have to deal with the New York State Athletic Commission mandate to provide health coverage to the tune of $50,000 per fighter, or the controversial million-dollar guaranteed coverage each fighter must have in the event of a traumatic brain injury – which is a more common occurrence in boxing than mixed martial arts, according to an article written by The Ring’s Thomas Hauser. Combate Americas won’t have to adhere to the NYSAC because the Oct. 14 event will take place at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino, which is located on land in New York that is held by the Oneida Indian Nation.

In Thomas Hauser’s article, he rips Governor Cuomo and the NYSAC for their recent actions.

The political powers that be in New York have sought to justify the million-dollar insurance requirement on grounds that it’s designed to protect the health and safety of fighters. But the insurance requirement isn’t about protecting fighters. A state athletic commission protects fighters by refusing to license fighters who shouldn’t be allowed to fight. A state athletic commission protects fighters by instituting proper medical procedures and protocols and hiring competent doctors to implement them. A state athletic commission protects fighters by hiring referees who know when to stop a fight and inspectors who recognize signs of trouble. The million-dollar insurance requirement has nothing to do with that. It’s about who pays for a fighter’s medical care after the system has failed to safeguard the fighter. The fighter’s family? The hospital where the fighter is treated? The state? That’s a legitimate issue. But let’s be honest about the fact that the million-dollar-insurance requirement will undermine every small promoter in New York and clears the way for UFC to be the only promoter of any professional combat sport competition in New York in the immediate future. - Thomas Hauser.

As discussed in my last article (credit to Jim Genia), it is now illegal in New York to

Organize, promote, or participate in an amateur MMA event not sanctioned by the Athletic Commission or an approved third-party organization

Act as a sanctioning organization without getting a license from the Athletic Commission; doing so may result in a Class A misdemeanor and up to a $10,000 fine. The form to apply for a license can be found here .

. Hold an event without first giving the Athletic Commission ten days notice

Fight in an amateur MMA bout without getting a Mixed Martial Arts National Identification Card

These new rules don’t phase McLaren, who has had to fight for the right to promote his shows before – like in the early days of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. McLaren doesn’t believe there is anything the New York State Athletic Commission can do his martial artists legally; no action can be taken against his fighters.

Mixed martial artist Chris Torres is set to compete in his first professional fight on the Oct. 14 Combate Americas card, and will be fighting out of Binghamton, New York, where he trains at The Crow’s Nest MMA. After competing in several amateur bouts through the years, he was tapped to fight on the first professional event held in the State within the last 20 years.

Was potential backlash from the New York State Athletic Commission a factor for Torres when he made the decision to fight in New York?

"For me? No. We have all sorts of avenues to compete outside of state should New York State ‘attack’ us," Torres said. "It’s sad though because New York State (NYSAC) is trying to scare fighters out of competing in the state, which at the end of the day is just generating revenue for local promoters, businesses, and communities."

The New York State Athletic Commission has yet to respond to an inquiry regarding potential legal action.