Free to fight: mixed martial arts.

• Author: Shackford, Scott
• Position: New York ban lifted - Citings - Brief article

For nearly two decades, the state of New York has banned professional mixed martial arts (MMA) events, even as the sport has skyrocketed in popularity. Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the premier MMA event production and promotion company, logged more than $ 500 million in revenue in 2014, according to Moody's Investors Service.

Though politicians have frequently maligned the sport for its brutality, their complaints did little to stop MMA's cultural ascendance. Attempts to regulate it out of existence ultimately failed, and by 2016 New York was the last state to prohibit the sport. In March, even the Empire State's ban fell, following a long, bloody fight.

For years, New York state senators have been introducing legislation to...