UFC President Dana White told “Inside MMA” on Friday that the UFC is so confident about MMA being legalized in New York in 2015 that the promotion is holding a date for an event at Madison Square Garden near the end of this year.
“Imagine if we can do that this year,” said White during his appearance on the AXS TV program. “We’re already having the greatest year we’ve had in the history of the company out of the gates here. And if everything holds together, people stay healthy, fights stay in place, we’re in for an unbelievable year and that would be a great way to top if off.”
One of the main reasons White is so confident is due to the arrest of New York State Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver. While the bill to legalize MMA in New York has made it through to the state’s Senate every year for the past few years, it always got held up in the Assembly because Silver wouldn’t even allow it to be brought to a vote.
Regarding the Silver situation, White said, “You can pick up the paper and read about [Silver] and you can understand why we didn’t get into New York. Now he’s got bigger problems than UFC. Hopefully we can get through.”
On the subject, White concluded, “We don’t want to be cocky, but we’re being confident. I’m very, very confident it’s gonna happen.”
