NEW YORK CITY -- The Ultimate Fighting Championship will hold its first mixed martial arts fight in New York state on Nov. 12 at Madison Square Garden, a UFC exec announced Thursday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill legalizing pro MMA fights in the state.

The UFC will also sponsor a fight at a venue in Upstate New York before the end of the year, announced Lorenzo Fertitta, UFC chairman and CEO.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Thursday morning at a news conference at Madison Square Garden that he was signing the bill to make New York the last state in the country to legalize professional MMA fights.

MMA stars Ronda Rousey and Chris Weidman, who lobbied state lawmakers to pass the bill, were among those to attend the news conference.

"We thank you for your patience," Cuomo said to Rousey and Weidman.

"They would ask me what they would need to do to get it (the bill) through the Legislature. I said I had no idea," the governor said.

He jokingly said that some of the same tactics found in MMA fights are often used in the Legislature.

"The ground and pound started in the New York State Assembly. That's their tactic. The arm bar was started by the Senate Republicans. Sen. Flanagan, who is not here because he's at home practicing the arm bar, uses it very well," Cuomo said.

He also said that he had planned to go a couple rounds before the news conference with Weidman, a former UFC middleweight champion from Long Island, "just to warm up." But the governor said he couldn't do that because he has an injured wrist.

"As soon as my injury is better, we'll have a couple rounds between you and me," he said.

Rousey, a former UFC bantamweight champion, said that passage of the bill restored her faith in the system.

Sen. Joseph Griffo, R-Rome, was the sponsor of the Senate bill to legalize MMA fights in New York. At the news conference, he said he expects that New York will get a tremendous economic benefit from fans from outside the state spending money at MMA bouts here.

"All regions (of the state) will see that benefit when these bouts are scheduled throughout the state. This is an incredibly popular sport. The fan base continues to grow," Griffo said.

UFC, the biggest MMA promoter in the United States, has committed to holding four pro MMA fights a year in New York for the first three years after passage of the bill. The events will be held in Upstate cities such as Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Albany, in addition to Madison Square Garden and the Barclays Center, a UFC spokesman said.

Cuomo's office said MMA's expansion into New York is projected to yield more than $137 million in economic activity for the state's economy, roughly half of which is expected to be spent in Upstate New York, and result in $5.4 million in state and local taxes on an annual basis.

UFC events in New York State are expected to generate $32 million in economic activity each year, including by capturing revenue and attendance from nearby out-of-state venues. An average of 66 other non-UFC MMA events are anticipated annually, generating $29 million in economic impact. An expansion of UFC gyms across the state is also anticipated to generate $76 million in economic impact, Cuomo's office said.

"I want to thank Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Assembly Majority Leader Joseph Morelle, Sen. Joe Griffo and the many other leaders in the state of New York for legalizing and regulating the sport of mixed martial arts," Fertitta said. "Our commitment to bringing incredible live events to New York starts immediately, as we've planned a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on November 12. It's going to be a historic, monumental moment for this sport and our passionate fans when the Octagon finally arrives in New York."





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