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Every time UFC heads to the New York area, they discover negative media attention

By Zach Arnold | April 26, 2013

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Nate Diaz wants you to know that Josh Thomson was ‘making woman sounds’ when he fought him last week in San Jose

Regarding the heat for the UFC 159 show this weekend, MMA Supremacy has the following:

UFC 159 this weekend from Newark, NJ had ONLY sold 12,500 tickets for $2.4M through this weekend. So no matter what you think about Jones/Sonnen, TUF build up, & type of match-up it is, selling only 12,500 tixs for $2.4M says something.

Then there are the headlines…

Great White Hoax: Chael Sonnen, Racial Coding, and the UFC

There isn’t a sociology major alive who isn’t well versed in not just how coding works, but how devilishly effective it can be. Sonnen appears to be using his academic understanding of racial coding to make it even more powerful than it already is—and now he’s got a third shot at a title. Lee Atwater would be proud.

And that’s just the tame material headed UFC’s way on Friday.

Phil Davis, who is fighting on this weekend’s UFC 159 card in Newark, finds himself at the end of a piece by TMZ over a custody battle that will take place on May 7th.

UFC Star Phil Davis — Baby Mama Says MMA Makes Him Violent During Sex

UFC star Phil Davis has a huge fight Saturday night in New Jersey, but the bigger fight may be May 7 in San Diego, where his baby mama will accuse him of crazy brutality, including violent sex … and she blames it on martial arts.

Now here’s the hook — Patterson claims Davis’ alleged propensity for violence has escalated because of his involvement in the UFC.

You couldn’t have scripted a better headline if you possibly tried to do a last-minute hit job on the UFC’s prospects of getting MMA Legislation passed in 2013. Remember this quote from Deborah Tucker of the National Center on Domestic & Sexual Violence earlier in the week?

“That there are actually films that include this kind of conduct and how to go about engaging in it. Kind of ‘lessons’ on how to assault a woman.”

Here’s another headline that will grab attention: MMA foe launches bill (in New York state) to create fighters’ health care fund

Brad Hoylman’s bill, which he plans to introduce by the end of the month, would create a mandatory health care fund for the sport’s combatants, modeled on funds established for horse-racing jockeys and taxi drivers.

His bill, if approved, would make New York the first state in the country that would require MMA promoters to contribute to a health care fund.

Hoylman’s proposal is based on the state’s Worker’s Compensation Jockey Fund for horse jockeys, and the Taxi & Limousine Commission’s Health & Disability Fund for taxi drivers.

If you can’t keep stop MMA legislation from passing, then regulate the hell out of it to the point where there’s no activity. That will be the political strategy moving forward. There is now a bill in the New York state senate that would put a two-year moratorium on MMA events in the state in order to conduct a behavioral & health study.

At the same time, there may be adverse public safety and mental health consequences for society as a whole, and particularly children, if we legalize this sport without first adequately accounting for the risks. Due to the violent nature of mixed martial arts and the surprisingly high incidence of unchallenged sexism and misogyny displayed by
certain fighters, commentators, and other public figures associated with this sport, the prospect of legalization in New York State raises legitimate concerns about the increased exposure of our children to this new and potentially very negative influence.

I chuckled at this comment from Sal in Brooklyn:

Zach you are obsessed with California and the CSAC. Whats up with that??

This if the first word you have uttered about NY legalization…and all it is is to say that it will hurt California.

You’ve done a terrible job of actually covering the NY legalization issue…which is infinitely more important and significant than the internal workings of the CSAC and florida commission that barely anyone cares about.

We’ve talked about the New York situation plenty of times, including the attempts by the pollster at Siena to basically push-poll Mixed Martial Arts legislation prospects in a way to get a pro-MMA response.

California has around 150 professional shows a year and many more amateur events under CAMO delegation. The amount of activity in California blows away all the other states combined. And… they’re the big financial loser if New York MMA legislation passes and the politicians get out of the way. The health of California’s commission absolutely matters because it’s where the most activity is in the United States. New York could have plenty of MMA activity but the political class has done everything in its power to stop it. It’s all fun and games when it comes to politics until a fighter gets seriously hurt or killed because the regulators aren’t doing their job right. The same goes for the politicians making the decisions in both states.

Topics: Media, MMA, UFC, Zach Arnold | 9 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |

9 Responses to “Every time UFC heads to the New York area, they discover negative media attention”

  1. sal says:

    Hahahah…you checked my IP address or something to know I’m from Brooklyn??

    And NO, you haven’t talked about the “NY situation” plenty of times.

    Did you even click on the search link you posted? Even most of those pieces are on CSAC and FSAC.hhaha. Look at the list…only 2 of the 10 articles actually deal with NY legalization. Just because the words “new york” are in an article doesnt mean its about legalization of MMA in NY.

    You even admitted yourself you didnt want to discuss it until it had been resolved.

    You didnt talk about the lawsuit hearing or the judge’s order to settle. You didnt talk about the failed mediation. You haven’t talked in detail about the process whatsoever.

    I’m not hating…its just a fact that youre obsessed with the California and Florida commissions rather than what myself and most east-coast MMA fans consider to be a more important issue.

    To correct myself…its not that the inner workings of the CSAC arent important…its that no one cares about them.

    I’ve been reading this site since it was called puroresupower.com… what is that 10 years? so I know that you like to delve, in great detail, into some pretty complex issues. I think sometimes you lose site of what people actually care about… Thats all..

    Hahaha….fact is you’ve barely covered the story. Most of the articles at that link are STILL about the CSAC… Just because they say “new york” somewhere in them doesnt mean you have covered the issue in depth at all.

    I know California holds more events than anyone else…but isnt MMA being legalized in the biggest city in our country – the center of American commerce, media, culture, etc- significant enough to delve into?

    We know you can cover a complex story and as a longtime reader of this site I was looking for a little explanation and perspective. I am criticizing..but I’m also showing you respect… I look to your site for a different angle on mainstream mma news..

    • Zach Arnold says:

      The situation in New York is a story that has spanned many years. Comb through the archives. You’ll realize that I’ve written some fairly extensive pieces on the topic. If you are referring to me doing inside baseball items on New York, the answer is no — not to the extent that I’ve done with California and Florida.

      Would I like to do inside baseball items on New York? Yes. New York, Nevada, and Texas. I’m never one to pass up a good story or a good tip. The issue with those three states is that nobody in those regions is willing to cooperate. Different ballgame in the other states I cover.

      There’s only so many reincarnations you can spin on the UFC/New York situation. On the major changes to that situation, we’ve noted what has happened. I have full respect for those who are in the trenches covering the New York story and I’ve made sure to reach out to them by promoting their pieces whenever they do a bang-up job on the subject.

      [You even admitted yourself you didnt want to discuss it until it had been resolved.]

      I’m not sure where you read this, but I wouldn’t phrase it in that matter. If a decision breaks in the current lawsuit UFC has against New York or MMA legislation passes, I’m very happy to go in-depth.

      [You didnt talk about the lawsuit hearing or the judge’s order to settle. You didnt talk about the failed mediation. You haven’t talked in detail about the process whatsoever.]

      Because right now there’s no there there. Every civil case has mediation with an arbitrator that basically tells both sides, “your case sucks, go settle.” There’s not a lot to discuss regarding the motions filed in the matter. Either it heads to trial or it gets settled. One of two outcomes. When we reach that point, then focus is warranted.

      [I’m not hating…its just a fact that youre obsessed with the California and Florida commissions rather than what myself and most east-coast MMA fans consider to be a more important issue.]

      OK… and? You want me to pander on coverage in order to get hits? Sometimes I have to make a decision between covering a story where there’s something at stake or covering something if it means more web traffic. I abandoned the concept of traffic-baiting long ago in terms of what I write about. I have resources in California and Florida to work with — and I would be a fool not to pursue what is happening in these locales.

      If someone does a better job of covering New York, great. In fact, I’ll be thrilled to push links and direct readers to pieces I think are worthwhile. I can’t dominate the coverage of every story in Mixed Martial Arts.

      [I’ve been reading this site since it was called puroresupower.com… what is that 10 years? so I know that you like to delve, in great detail, into some pretty complex issues. I think sometimes you lose site of what people actually care about… Thats all..]

      Well, there is an understanding that some of the items I write about aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. That’s baked into the cake. But given California’s influence in the business, I would be a fool to not cover what is happening.

      And as far as the masses not caring, perhaps you are correct. However, the promoters, fighters, managers, and officials who work in the state sure care. The politicians care even more because they hate seeing their names being discussed with crappy regulation. Take it to the bank that the folks in Sacramento at the Capitol know who the hell I am right now. If anything I’ve written has lead to positive changes in the state, I’ll take that any day of the week over cheap traffic baiting.

    • RST says:

      “I’m not hating…”

      ^^

      13 year old alert.

  2. 45 Huddle says:

    MMA Supremacy once again showing how he hates on the UFC no matter what…. And then typically cheer leads the competition. A $2.4 Million gate so far for an event in New Jersey…. And with a farce of a title fight…. Is very respectable.

    The Phil Davis thing is impossible to determine…. He could be a pyscho behind closed doors. She could be a crazy ex who is trying to wreck his name in order to get a lot of money through child support. Based on his attitude in public and the timing of her unleashing this claim, I would say right now it is likely 75/25 in favor of him being innocent of these allegations. And for fight fans, I highly doubt it will have any impact on them. Have you ever read The UG? Their opinion on females is less then stellar to begin with.

    The idea of creating some sort of future pay for fighters is an interesting one, but in no way should be done at the state level. It should be done on the company level. I do think pensions should be in place for the fighters retirement. It should be much, but there needs to be some additional safety nets for these guys who could be doing brain damage during competition.

    And that type of legislation would be easy to handle in New York. Just state that for a MMA company to do business in the state, they have to have a certain type of pension set up for fighters (with funding requirements). What this will do is guarantee New York gets the revenues from the bigger companies, not have to worry about the smaller promoters who can’t afford it, and they have the best of both worlds….

    ***

    Correction…. What I mean about the health care fund not being done on the state level…. Is that the money should not be collected by the states. It should be done by the companies themselves, with a mandatory 100% funding policy.

    Also, the way the wording of a bill like this (no matter if it is done by the state or required by the company) is the real key. If it is a strict fee per event, then the UFC probably won’t care as long as it is a lower amount. If it is a percentage type of deal… The UFC would probably give a big FU to the commissions.

  3. RST says:

    “Nate Diaz wants you to know that Josh Thomson was ‘making woman sounds’”

    Thats funny. And yet Nate Diaz seems to be the one being a b!tch about it.

    “Great White Hoax: Chael Sonnen, Racial Coding, and the UFC”

    Well what else are the population of new york supposed to do with their expensive poly-sci degree’s?!

    “where his baby mama will accuse him of crazy brutality, including violent sex”

    And yet you decided to have a baby by that man. Unless you can prove that this suddenly happened over-night post-baby after he watched an episode of tuf. Sounds more like someone who doesn’t want to accept the responsibility for her own decisions and is expecting some free-stuff.

    “Kind of ‘lessons’ on how to assault a woman.”

    Or from another perspective, maybe its a lesson for women to avoid putting themselves into bad situations where they’ll get themselves hurt.

    Using their brains.
    (Hehehe…)
    You know, like everyone else is expected to do.

    Maybe thats what these womens groups should be teaching chicks instead of a stance and career playing victim for a living.

    “This if the first word you have uttered about NY legalization”

    Lol. I cant believe you responded to that. BTW: Where was maggie hendricks during all this? She’s making a living writing about MMA while flinging around slogans like “transphobia”? Or does she agree with the womens groups and only writes about mma as an opportunity to fling around slogans.

    • RST says:

      “Great White Hoax: Chael Sonnen, Racial Coding, and the UFC”

      ALSO, watch the ideological population of new york perpetuate racism by riding the race card gravy train for a living.

      (Because without the playing victim industry they might be faced with the terrifying prospect of having to do some real work for a living.)

      This is the same community of people who printed a scathing article in the new york times outlining how OUTRAGED they are that Gwenyth Paltrow could possibly be chosen by some silly chick magazine as their “most beautiful person of the year”… Because Gwenyth Paltrow is white!

  4. klown says:

    It’s like RST is maturing in reverse.

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