ALBANY, N.Y. -- The New York State Senate approved a bill Monday to legalize professional mixed martial arts bouts in New York, the last state where the sport is illegal.

The Senate, which voted 48-14, approved a MMA bill for the seventh consecutive year. It will now go to the state Assembly, which has never voted on the legislation.

In his state budget, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked lawmakers to legalize the sport for the first time.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship, the biggest promoter of MMA events, has been trying to build momentum to win approval in the Assembly.

There remains some opposition in the Democratic-controlled Assembly, where another bill has been introduced to put a two-year moratorium on professional MMA bouts to allow the state to study the health impacts of the repetitive head injuries that some fighters suffer.

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The Senate bill was sponsored by Sen. Joe Griffo, R-Rome.

"As mixed martial arts continues to rise in popularity, these passionate athletes deserve to have the privilege of fighting safely and professionally in their own home state," Griffo said. "Since 2010, I have been relentless in my push to life the statewide ban on professional MMA, and I am proud that we are now the closest we've ever come to joining the rest of the nation in legalizing this competitive sport."

The 14 voting against the bill were Sens. John Bonacic, R-Mount Hope; Neil Breslin, D-Delmar; Ruben Diaz, D-Bronx; Semcha Felder, D-Brooklyn; Brad Hoylman, D-Manhattan; Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan; Andrew Lanza, D-Staten Island; William Larkin, R-Cornwall on Hudson; Kenneth Lavalle, R-Port Jefferson; Carl Marcellino, R-Syosset; Velmanette Montgomery, D-Brooklyn; Bill Perkins, D-Harlem; Diane Savino, D-Staten Island; and Catharine Young, R-Olean.

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