New York has taken a step closer to regulating mixed martial arts and repealing a ban on the sport that was imposed across the state 13 years ago. The New York State Senate yesterday approved most of a budget proposal put forward by Governor Paterson and budget director Robert Megna. The budget proposal included provisions to change state legislation and “authorize the conduct and regulation of professional mixed martial arts sporting events in New York State” with the New York State Athletic Commission being empowered to license fighters and promoters “to ensure the safety and integrity of the sport.” But of more interest to New York legislators is probably the part which states “The bill would also make provision for the State ...

Chuck Liddell will be fighting Rich Franklin in his next bout and not rival TUF 11 coach Tito Ortiz, Fighters Only has heard from a reliable source. The switch was initially reported to us just under two weeks ago but was only a rumour at that time. However, the rumour hit message boards late last night and an industry source confirmed that Liddell will indeed be facing former middleweight champion Rich Franklin. The fight is to headline an April 17th Fight Night event which will counter Strikeforce’s show on the same date. Rumour has it that the event will be staged in Nashville and be broadcast for free on the Spike TV network. That would present ...

UFC president Dana White supports the athletic commission guidelines on drug testing mixed martial artists and compared the rigid policies and punishment to other sports’ testing programs to the media following Saturday’s UFC 108 in Las Vegas. “They can test us how ever they want to test us. That’s up to the athletic commission. I don’t like steroids in fighting,” stated White. “When you go out and you hit a (expletive) ball over a wall, who gives a (expletive)? Who cares what you’re on? I don’t care what you’re doing or what you’re on. When you can get on top of a guy and elbow and punch another guy in the face you should be tested, and you shouldn’t be using ...

UFC president Dana White was noticeably absent from The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale post-event press conference, and it may have been for the best. The Nevada State Athletic Commission utilized instant replay to determine the outcome of a mixed martial arts contest for the first time in its history on the TUF 10 Finale card, and White's favorite whipping-boy official, Steve Mazzagatti, was responsible for utilizing the technology. But NSAC executive director Keith Kizer was at the gathering, and he believes Mazzagatti handled the situation precisely as instructed by the commission's regulations. "It's completely up to the referee," Kizer said. "When Mazzagatti came around and looked at the replay, they were actually showing a perfect angle. ...