A.J. Perez

USA TODAY Sports

A bill that would legalize professional mixed martial arts was finally passed by the New York State Assembly on Tuesday – although not without some scrutiny by legislators.

“I thought I should learn a little bit about (MMA),” said Assemblyman Daniel O'Donnell (D-Manhattan), who is gay. “Well, I should really like it. You have two nearly naked, hot men trying to dominate each other. That’s gay porn with a different ending.”

O'Donnell, the brother of actress Rosie O'Donnell, concluded his remarks by saying that he would “take a cold shower” and hopes the state would remain the only one in the nation where pro MMA would remain banned.

Vote lifts NY mixed martial arts ban

O'Donnell was hardly the only dissenter for a bill that will clear the way for UFC and other sanctioning bodies to hold fights in the state, which passed by an unofficial tally of 113-25. State Assemblyman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) likened MMA to the savages of slavery and police brutality, hinting at the case where Eric Garner died after he was placed in a chokehold by police in Staten Island in 2014.

“You know how we feel about the chokehold in New York City,” Barron said. “You can put him in a chokehold and the ref has to be determining whether he got choked enough or she got choked enough. This (sport) is not something we should legalize or regulate.”

Assemblywoman Deborah Glick (D-New York) said MMA stars are part of "dumbing down of America” and she voiced concerns that if the bill became law that children would be more inclined to fight at school.

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Assemblywoman Angela Wozniak (C-Cheektowaga) said she was a worried “this bill doesn’t do anything about” policing sex offenders.

Concerns about traumatic brain injury were also cited by a few legislators.

"I would like to think personally we should hold off longer (in approving pro MMA in the state) especially since the brain research has grown leaps and bounds over the last few years," Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy (D-Albany) said. "I see this as New York being a holdout, showing, again, that we are leaders. I would like to see us remain leaders and wait for the health research to be more thorough in terms of the long-term impact on these fighters."

Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Queens) voiced concerns about domestic violence and drug issues in the sport, which she said was "shockingly high."

The bill's backers included Assemblyman Jose Rivera (D-Bronx).

"You afraid of violence?" Rivera quipped. "You’re lucky you didn’t grow up in the South Bronx like I did.”

He closed off his time by saying he'd vote "yes" on the bill.