UFC 98 may just be the card Dana White had scribbled together on a his private jet cocktail napkin about one year ago, chock full of New York area fighters, plotting the first ever UFC event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Unfortunately, a man named Bob Reilly (NY Assemblyman) holds power in Albany and has squashed hopes for the legalization of MMA in New York to date.  Oh what a night on 33rd and 8th it could have been with Strong Island in the house chanting Serra-Serra-Serra, or the Toms River, NJ faithful serenading their favorite MMA son, Frankie-Frankie-Frankie.  Ahhhh … so we dream.

Rather, the UFC travel department got busy booking JFK or EWR to LAS given that five Tri-State (NY, NJ, CT area) fighters will be featured this weekend at UFC 98 in Las Vegas.  This is the most Tri-State area fighters ever on one UFC card.  Andre Gusmao and Phillipe Nover are Brooklyn residents.  Matt Serra is the pride of Huntington, Long Island. Frankie Edgar is from Toms River, NJ and his close friend Dan Miller is from Sparta, NJ.  It  will be a showing of Tri-State skill on the strip that should put to rest any notion that the the New York area is somehow a second or third tier source of MMA talent.  

Las Vegas is still ground zero for the sport being home to the UFC and mega gyms run by Randy Couture and Wanderlei Silva but no longer is it necessary to uproot and move to Sin City or other training destinations like American Top Team/Florida to pursue a MMA career.

New York City is home to the talent rich Renzo Gracie gym and a number of satellite locations run by Gracie pupils. Phil Nurse at The Wat in SoHo is the go-to Muay Thai gym for the likes of George St. Pierre. New Jersey has the growing powerhouse - AMA gym - run by Mike Constantino with the Miller brothers leading the way.  Ricardo Almeida and Kurt Pellegrino’s gyms are booming in New Jersey while Team Serra-Longo rules Long Island with a growing stable of fighters and a gem of a young talent in Chris Weidman (remember the name).  And dare we forget to mention the guys at Tiger Schulman’s in North Jersey. They have a beast that is about to explode - his name: Lyman Good, who is now torching his way to the Bellator title.

So, as we watch a great night of fights on Saturday, lets enjoy all the talent at the MGM Grand emanating from the Big Apple and Garden State.  We might pitch a 5-0 shutout if Serra can stay out of a wrestling match with his buddy Matt Hughes.  While the New York Times will likely give more ink to stage 14 of the Giro D’Italia bicycle race going on in Italy than Saturday’s sold out event in America’s fastest growing sport, those in the know … know that MMA is booming in the Tri-State area. As soon as the cats up in Albany awake from their stupor and give the people what they want … the fighters and fans in this area will take MMA to even higher highs.

John Moody
www.tristatefighter.com