After a long journey, you will now be able to watch sanctioned mixed martial arts events in New York state.

Despite having hotbeds of mixed martial arts talent throughout the state (specifically Long Island and Western New York), the sport had been banned for almost 20 years, with bills attempting to rectify the situation getting through New York State Senate repeatedly, always left to die and never pass through the Assembly.

That all changed this week, as New York State's Assembly voted 113-25 to legalize the sport (with a mere 76 votes required to pass).

Governor Andrew Cuomo has been adamant in his support of the measure, recognizing the amount of revenue that could be generated from hosting events and other business endeavors related to the immensely popular sport.

For their part, the folks of UFC have been, well, very enthusiastic about the decision to allow fights to take place here, as evidenced by everything they've been posting on their twitter including this video:

 

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