Mar 29, 2015 3 min read

COLONIE, N.Y. – At the gym just down the road from New York’s Capitol, Jimmy Bruce lands a classic left-right boxing combination to the head of Asi Somburu, who responds by dropping and tackling his opponent, a smooth wrestling takedown that has their coach yelling praise.

Then they grapple on the mat, trying to set and counter various jiujitsu holds, despite wearing boxing gloves and shin pads. They get back up and spar again. This time Somburu opens with a roundhouse kick, that karate staple, to his opponent’s ribs. They’re fast, and accurate, but holding back on force despite the repeated thwack of contact.

Both have amateur MMA fights coming up, one in Albany, the other in Massachusetts, and say it’s time for New York to follow 49 other states and allow the professional sport in New York. Such a change could mean money not just for fighters but also promoters who would be able to stage fights in big New York venues, including the legendary Madison Square Garden.

“If it works out, I’d like to go pro within the next couple fights to see how I do,” Bruce said. “If there were more local events, it would give us more opportunities to compete.”

That legislation has been blocked for eight years in the state Assembly, where some lawmakers say the sport is too violent.

But that chamber’s majority Democrats are expected to consider it again in the next several weeks. One subtext is labor opposition from the Culinary Workers Union and its affiliates since the owners of Ultimate Fighting Championship, MMA’s biggest franchise, are majority owners of non-union Station Casinos in Las Vegas.

Even without pro fights in New York, amateur action has grown in gyms across the state. Bruce, 28, will soon have his third amateur fight, the one in Massachusetts. That’s inconvenient, adding the six hours of driving and medical checkups to family time, night school, training and his full-time job as operations manager for a tire wholesaler.

He competed in taekwondo for years before turning six years ago to jiujitsu and MMA as an adult. “I’ve always just loved the competition and the camaraderie of it. … It’s also a good outlet. If I don’t make it to the gym one week, I kind of get in a bad mood.”

Chris Campanella, director of fighter relations for Cage Wars, said their 30th amateur MMA show in six years is scheduled at the Albany Armory on May 2. They usually have 10 to 15 fighters. “We can’t offer much in a pro circuit,” he said.

While the sport grew around the Capitol deadlock, the landscape has also changed inside. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who was an opponent, has been replaced this year as Democratic leader by new Speaker Carl Heastie, who has been a supporter. Nearly half the 150 Assembly members have co-sponsored the legislation.

The state Senate has approved it for five straight years. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said he’s supportive.

Advocates on both sides said there’s been some shift from previous years, but nobody’s betting yet with certainty on the outcome in the Assembly.