Bad news came down today as the bill to legalize MMA in New York never was addressed before the final 2009 session in the House Ways and Means committee came to an end on Tuesday at 2am. This is bad news for MMA fans hoping the sport would finally become legal in the Empire state. Here is an excerpt from the breaking story on MMAWeekly.com. Click through for a live link to the full story on MMAWeekly.com.

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from mmaweekly.com

“The news is a blow to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The promotion had put much effort into getting MMA legislation passed in New York this year with hopes of running an event there in early 2010.

The bill will now have to go back through the process in 2010, and even if it does pass next year, the soonest the UFC, or any other promotion, would be able to hold an event in New York would be late in the year or early 2011.”

Nick Pace from Team Tiger Schulman in New Jersey clearly had the finish of the night last Friday at the Bellator Fighting Championships. With one flying knee he knocked out Collin Tebo then added a monster right to eliminate any doubts. Take a look.

Bellator Fighting Championship crowned their second of four champions last night when New York’s Lyman Good dismantled Omar De La Cruz for the Welterweight belt. Afterward, I had a chance to talk with Good, Nick Pace, and Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. Here are some thoughts from a great night at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville CT.

* Remember the name: Nick Pace. He had the finish of the night with a flying knee to the head of Collin Tebo which ended that 135 pound contest instantly. Pace is from Team Tiger Schulman and is one to watch. Per his finish, think Jose Aldo or James Irvin. It will be a youtube hit.

* Lyman Good is better than good. He made his Bellator title bout look easy stopping Omar De La Cruz in the first round. He told me he is going to take a vacation and help out his family with the 175k he pocketed. Dude is a role model in and out of the cage.

* Bellator boss Bjorn Rebney has promised an english version outlet for Bellator for the next tournament. More to come on that here and in my video interview with him appearing on FoxFightGame.com soon.

* Bellator is clearly a TV product at the moment. Arena was 25% full.

* Rebney said there were 32 ESPN executives in the crowd last night. Hope they liked the action.

* All four Tiger Schulman fighters competing last night won.

* Rebney said he recruited Lyman Good to fight at 185 and was surprised he wanted to drop to 170. Good is enormous at 170 and if the cut did not bother him - he will dominate at this weight.

* Almost forgot. When asked in the presser who he would love to fight, Good did not hesitate and said George St. Pierre.

* Anybody driving up I95 on a Friday afternoon - allow triple the time. And bring a good book for the traffic jam.

* Krispy Kreme at the Mohegan Sun was firing out fresh glazed donuts at 2am. I passed after much internal debate

* Jimmie Rivera won an exciting back and forth up and down battle over Nick Garcia from California. Kid fights with unrelenting speed. Gives opponent little time for composure.

* Rebney is totally committed to the tournament concept and likes the idea that the fighter controls his destiny and not an executive.

* Watch for video interviews with Lyman Good, Bjorn Rebney, and Nick Pace later next week on FoxFightGame.com.

Professional MMA does appear to be close at hand here in New York. However, an underground world of unregulated MMA has been alive and well in the state for some time. Click through for a link to the story and video from the Daily News about the thrills and risks involved in fighting “off the grid.”

The Fight Nerd was on hand at Trump Tower yesterday and rolled tape on the Affliction/M-1 Global press conference. Affliction announced the particulars regarding their next event on August 1 featuring the main event between Fedor Emelianenko and Josh Barnett. For more from The Fight Nerd go to www.thefightnerd.com.

The state of New York is now one step closer to hosting Mixed Martial Arts events after the bill to legalize MMA was passed in the Assembly Committee today. One of last major states still without professional MMA, it was feared by many supporters that Assemblyman Bob Reilly, the leading opponent, would prevail again in his efforts to stop the legalization process. However, this is just the first step and the next vote will be on June 19. Here is an excerpt from the Times Union newspaper out of Albany. To read the entire article please copy and paste the link or click through to get a live link.

From TimesUnion.com:

ALBANY- The sport of mixed-martial arts passed a major hurdle toward legalization in New York state by being passed out of an Assembly committee by a vote of 14 to 6 Wednesday.

The overwhelming margin was a defeat for Assemblyman Bob Reilly, the Colonie Democrat who delayed the measure in committee last spring. He became the leading opponent in the past year, speaking out strongly against what he considers a barbaric and extremely dangerous sport.

“I’m disappointed,” Reilly said after his defeat in the Assembly’s Committee on Tourism, Arts, Parks and Sports Development. “I disagree very strongly with my colleagues. I predict we’ll see some dire consequences.”

To read the enitre article please copy and paste this link >

http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=806560

Scott Morgan and the great crew at New Breed Fighters fired off yet another stellar night of amateur MMA fights this past Saturday. Resorts Casino in Atlantic City was the site. Up and coming pros Phil Davis and Nick Pace got their start in the New Breed Fighters organization, so you may be seeing some of these names soon on the pro level. Click through for all of the details from last Saturday night.