PDF: New York judge dismisses UFC lawsuit sought to legalize MMA

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) filed a lawsuit against the state of New York a few years back, one that painted the existing ban on mixed martial arts (MMA) in "The Empire State" as vaguely written, difficult to interpret, and harmful to the vitality of ZUFFA.

Judge Kimba Wood of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York was not convinced and dismissed the claim on Tuesday, which as you might expect, did not go over well with the world's largest combat sports promotion.

From today's release:

The poorly written law, as interpreted by the State Athletic Commission, prohibits professional MMA, but allows (without State regulation) martial arts events that combine martial arts styles, like K-1 and Muay Thai. Also the law - which the AG conceded in this lawsuit does not prohibit amateur MMA - leaves amateur MMA wholly unregulated, a fact the Association Boxing Commissioners have condemned.

UFC is considering an appeal of the decision (read it below).

The promotion -- which successfully operates in surrounding areas like Newark and Philadelphia -- has already established the financial impact live events would have on "The Big Apple" after conducting several independent economic studies, which estimate a minimum of $16 million for just two pay-per-view (PPV) events per year.

Though not all hope is lost.

That said, I'm sure the boys at the Culinary Union are having themselves another round of high-fives.