ALBANY, NY — For the uninitiated, mixed martial arts (MMA) as defined by Wikipedia is “a full-contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, from a variety of other combat sports and martial arts.” Competitions are sometimes held in cages.

MMA has spread quickly in popularity throughout the land and MMA exhibition bouts and tournaments are legal in 49 states but are not legal in New York. However, that will soon be changing.

The state Senate has voted to legalize MMA in the Empire State for seven years in a row, but the Assembly has dragged its heels on the question. This year, however, with a new speaker in place, the question was allowed to come to the floor for a vote, and the members voted to approve MMA on a vote of 113 to 25 on March 23. All that remains now is for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to sign the bill into law, which he is expected to do, not least of all because revenue from the expected MMA bouts is figured into his budget.

The question, however, prompted a spirited debate among lawmakers before passage. Assembly member Joseph Morelle said, “The question before the house today is not whether you like mixed martial arts, or are a fan of boxing or are generally a sports enthusiast. The question is whether combative sports will be regulated in New York State, and whether we can provide an environment where those who choose to participate are as well protected as we can possibly make them.”

Member Ellen Jaffee said, “I strongly oppose this legislation of New York lifting the ban on professional human cage fighting, and in effect sanctioning violence for profit.”

Member Charles Barron said, “Throwing two people in a cage—personally as an African-American, we’ve been in cages fighting on the plantations and other places, and people bit off each other’s ears and did all kinds of things until they regulated that and made it something different.”

Member Daniel O’Donnell said, “You have two nearly naked hot men, rolling around on top of one another, trying to dominate each other. And just in case you don’t know, that’s gay porn with a different ending.”

Member Catherine Nolan said, “I would certainly judge no member here who votes “yes,” because we fight here; it’s combat. But I’m also not afraid to cast my vote in the negative, nor will I have it suggested that this is a sport, when I can open up my dopey phone that I don’t even know how to use and Google the word [sic] “domestic violence” and find from an HBO study that there’s more domestic violence in this sport than in any other, including the NFL.”

Member Edward Ra said, “Think about for a second if you grew up in athletics and you trained hard, and you were able to through pure hard work rise to the top of your profession, something that’s one of the fastest growing sports in the world. And you got to the top of that mountain and people said, ‘You’re not allowed to conduct your profession in your home state.’ Well there’s an MMA athlete named Chris Weidman from Long Island, and he asked, ‘Why can’t I fight in New York State?’ And I had a hard time really giving him an answer.”