UFC sues state of New York, books PPV event for April 23 in Madison Square Garden

Mixed martial arts (MMA) is outlawed in the state of New York.

That hasn't stopped Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) from booking an upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) event inside New York City's Madison Square Garden (again) on April 23, 2016. I guess ZUFFA attorneys are feeling pretty optimistic following a lawsuit filed in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday.

One that calls the state's ban of MMA "so badly written that neither ordinary persons nor state officials are able to say with any certainty what it permits and what it prohibits," according to New York Daily News. The promotion needs a preliminary injunction in order to proceed.

So why risk egg on the face and book anyway?

"We believe fight fans have waited long enough to experience live UFC events in the state of New York, and we are thrilled to announce our first event at Madison Square Garden," UFC Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Epstein said in today's release. "Professional MMA is legal around of the world, and it is about time New York followed suit."

That's up to the court to decide.

This isn't the first time UFC tried to get a judge to intervene on behalf of MMA, which has been largely ignored each and every time it comes up for vote in the state legislature. Not even the considerable might of Ronda Rousey was able to sway lawmakers.

But like the late Yogi Berra once said, it ain't ova' til it's ova.

Stay tuned.