Lift The Ban Watch

by Luke Thomas on Feb 6, 2008 12:29 PM EST in MMA News

Finally - FINALLY - someone is doing something about this in Maryland. Notable quote:

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) -- Mixed martial arts competitions such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship are illegal in Maryland -- but one state lawmaker wants to change that.

Democratic Delegate Kirill Reznik of Montgomery County has proposed a bill allowing the mixed martial arts contests. He says the law change would allow Maryland to play host to nationally known events. Reznik has studied a version of a martial art called Chinese Kempo for more than 20 years.

Reznik says all Maryland's neighboring states except West Virginia allow the fights. Lawmakers in Michigan signed off on a similar bill about mixed martial arts last year.

MMA is legal in DC and Virginia, but not Maryland. For folks not familiar with this area, the three locales are all within very close proximity of each other and actually function as one metropolitan unit around DC. To have MMA legalized in Maryland completes the triad and opens up a great deal of new MMA East Coast opportunities.

Faster, please.

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Re: Lift The Ban Watch

Dear MMA Readers,

I want to thank you for the post and publicizing the bill on our efforts here in Maryland to allow for the sanctioning of professional MMA. There is a good buzz here in the General Assembly and I have high hopes.

However, there is still a long way to go and I need your help. Call your friends and fellow competitors in Maryland and have them contact their State Legislators. Tell them to vote for House Bill 795 and Senate Bill 649. The Bill has also been cross-filed in the Senate by Senator Joan Carter Conway.

Go to this website to look up your Maryland State legislators - http://mlis.state.md.us.

Again, that you for the help and I look forward to attending my first professional MMA event in Maryland soon.

Sincerely,
Delegate Kirill Reznik (District 39, Montgomery County)

by Delegate Kirill Reznik on Feb 6, 2008 11:15 PM EST reply actions