With Monday’s news that the New York State Senate passed a measure that would allow Mixed Martial Arts fighting in New York, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones, an Endicott, N.Y. native, is dreaming about fighting in his home state.
Jones joined joined 1260 the Score in Syracuse to talk about his hopes that the State Assembly will follow suit and legalize MMA in New York. Sports Radio Interviews has the full transcript. Here a few excerpts:
On the law passing in New York to allow MMA in the state:
“Yeah absolutely. That was a pretty big vote for us. It wasn’t even close so hopefully it goes well with the Assembly members. I met a few of them today and a lot of them seem very enthusiastic about the fact of martial arts being able to change lives of New Yorkers. I’m excited to be a part of it and excited to be here today.”
On why people wouldn’t want the UFC in New York:
“I think the biggest thing is what the original UFC that came off the television, before all the regulations that the UFC put upon itself, there would be two guys in two different weight classes fighting, you would see things like eye gouging, grabbing of the groin, hair pulling, and it was a very barbaric sport at the time. I think a lot of the older generation, they were looking at the UFC as what they originally saw. A lot of people have closed their mind to the word cage fighting or martial arts. Now we’re trying to show people the sport has changed a lot and the UFC is the first combat organization to give all their athletes insurance, and there’s tons of rules to protect the safety of the fighter. It went really well today. It was great.”
Whether or not he thinks he will get a fight in his home state of New York in the future:
“Absolutely, absolutely. Right now being the youngest champion and being a New York state resident, I wouldn’t see why Dana White wouldn’t put me somewhere maybe Madison Square Garden in which I can see being totally sold out. (Host: Carrier Dome? Just thinking out loud Jon.) What do they call it the loud arena? (Host: The loud house baby.) Absolutely man we would make some noise in there.”