UFC
UFC NEWS: UFC presents new study suggesting MMA events could generate $23M annually for New York, announces plans to run MSG
Jan 13, 2011 - 3:16:24 PM UFC NEWS: UFC presents new study suggesting MMA events could generate $23M annually for New York, announces plans to run MSG

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The UFC held a press conference at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Thursday to officially announce their intent to bring an event to the venue as soon as the state concedes to regulating the sport.

New York remains one of four states with an established athletic commission that does not regulate mixed martial arts, and as such the UFC has lobbied furiously over the last several years to convince lawmakers in the state to change that fact. With Thursday's press conference, the UFC presented the findings of a new economic impact study conducted on their behalf by HR&A Advisors that outlines what they believe are "conservative" estimates to what the sport could bring the state financially.

The report assumes that the UFC would bring two events to the state during the first year, one at MSG and another upstate at Buffalo's HSBC Arena. Those two events alone would bring $16 million in revenue to the state, along with the creation of nearly 140 jobs, the study claims.

In addition, using information from several other states with local MMA events, the study predicts an additional $6.7 million in revenue and 75 new jobs for nearly 70 total events in the state on an annual basis.

The UFC is hopeful that legislators in New York will pass regulation on the sport this year, and they are sure to be the first MMA organization to run at the famed Madison Square Garden as soon as that regulation is passed.

Link to HR&A Economic Impact Study.

Penick's Analysis: This most recent push from the UFC will hopefully get the job done, and fans in New York can hope to see the UFC at MSG if not before the end of 2011, then certainly early in 2012. It's far past the time where this sport is accepted across the country, and the fact that New York has continually failed to recognize the UFC's tremendous impact in the surrounding areas is a sad testament to their stubbornness and to how misinformed they've been. This needs to get done, and hopefully this study helps move things forward.