Some state lawmakers think a smackdown might be a good way to raise money for New York.

Senate Republicans in Albany are hoping to legalize mixed martial arts (MMA) in the state for what they believe could be millions of dollars in annual tax revenue. The proposal is likely to meet with heavy opposition from the Democratic-controlled Assembly.

On Wednesday fans of the sport showed up in droves for a rally at Radio City Music Hall aimed to push for the approval of MMA in New York.

via cbs

Actress Jennifer Morrison posted the first character posters for the upcoming “Warrior” movie, starring Tom Hardy (Inception), Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom). Check them out below.

Plot: The youngest son (Hardy) of an alcoholic former boxer (Nolte) returns home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision corner with his older brother (Edgerton).

The new movie is directed by Gavin O’Connor (Pride and Glory, Miracle) and is set to hit theaters on September 9th.

Good Fight Entertainment is proud to welcome Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson to its sports division as its first mixed martial arts fighter. The relationship with Good Fight Entertainment and Rampage is in partnership with Anthony McGann and Wolfslair.

After becoming an icon with Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championships he became an American professional mixed martial arts fighter, and former UFC light-heavyweight champion.

“We are honored to work with Quinton and Anthony in all aspects of Quinton’s business development, said Paul Conroy, Good Fight Entertainment Co-Founder. Quinton is an incredible fighter with massive cross-over media presence. Most importantly, he is a great person. For the better part of the last year, our company has been looking for the right entry point into the business of MMA. There is no better place to begin then with Quinton as our client. We look forward to helping Quinton capture the potentially substantial upside he has in front of him with his business.”

Regarded as one of the most recognized fighters in the world, Quinton is ranked the number three Light Heavyweight in the world, and is the first fighter to unify any of the UFC and Pride FC championship belts. He also holds notable victories over Chuck Liddell (twice), Wanderlei Silva, Murilo Rua, Keith Jardine, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida to name a few.

Quinton’s passion for fighting and undeniable talent has also labeled him, “Most Outstanding Fighter and awarded him “Fight of the Year” consistently throughout his fighting career. He has also gained celebrity status with his numerous acting appearances on film and TV to include coaching on two seasons of, “The Ulitmate Fighter” on Spike TV.

via aroundtheoctagon

Who said cartwheel kick won’t work in a fight?

While the mixed martial arts scene in Japan faces continued uncertainty, the biggest MMA promotion in the world looks intent on making it’s return to the country for the first time in over 11 years.

Former Senior Vice President and Managing Director of NBA Asia and current Asia Executive Vice President and Managing Director for Zuffa, Mark Fischer, has been the man in charge for getting the UFC ready for a return to the market.

According to MMAFighting, Fischer is confident of the UFC’s future success in Japan:

“Zuffa has been working on the Japan market for many years, and the various relationships and resources we have built up here over this time have generated some significant opportunities for us now.”

The main issue, of course, is obtaining television in the first place. The UFC currently has deals with WOWOW TV and NTT Plala, along with mobile-television company TV Bank. But those deals are only “supplemental methods of distribution”.

“The sport of MMA still has a deep base of popularity in Japan. The combination of this fundamental base, the UFC’s global leadership of the sport and our commitment to excellence in everything we do, and the participation in UFC of a number of locally relevant fighters, is a potent formula which will ultimately make UFC an attractive property for network TV in Japan. We are also looking at creating innovative programming most suitable for network TV, which will help us get those relationships started and then we can build from there.”

via mmafrenzy

The KU Jiu Jitsu Club recently hired professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter and Kansas native Tyler Stinson, also known as “The Evolution,” to teach boxing and MMA.

Stinson, a 25-year-old from Winfield, began his professional MMA career in 2006, according to wiki.cagepotato.com. Members of the KU Jiu Jitsu Club met Stinson through training with him in different gyms in Kansas.

“His stand-up and boxing is just amazing,” club president Shawn Kaylor said. “We’re paying him to come in and teach boxing and MMA because he is one of the best in Kansas.” Stinson has a 16-6 winning record and was invited to the Bellator welterweight tournament.

Different types of jiu jitsu, such as Brazilian and Japanese, are practiced on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Mixed Martial Arts room at the Ambler Student Recreation Fitness Center. The MMA and boxing portion with Stinson meets every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

via kansan

Last week, the San Jose-based World Champion Mixed Martial Arts promotion launched a contest on its Facebook Fanpage for young women 21 years or older who aspire to be a STRIKEFORCE Ring Girl. The winner receives:

• To be an Official “STRIKEFORCE Ring Girl” on the evening of the Saturday, March 5, STRIKEFORCE MMA blockbuster event in Columbus, Ohio.

• Two airline tickets, hotel accommodations and transportation.

• Represent STRIKEFORCE at the Arnold Sports Festival (www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/schedule-of-events/#) on Saturday, March 5, 2011 (www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/schedule-of-events/#).

To enter a “Ring Girl Contest’’ on Facebook that runs in two rounds until Feb. 24, one must:

• Click “Like’’ on the STRIKEFORCE fan page

• Complete the registration form and agree to the terms.

• Upload a short video (limited to 30 seconds) telling voters why they would make the best “Ring Girl.”

So tell your Facebook friends and fans to vote! The winner is selected by whoever attains the most votes.

Each contestant starts each round with zero points. The first round runs through Feb. 19. The top eight vote-getters, plus two STRIKEFORCE selections, advance to the second and final round of 10. The final round is Feb. 21-24. The young woman who accumulates the most points in the final round will be the winner. The announcement will be made on Friday, Feb. 25.

via aroundtheoctagon

It’s been nearly 46 years since the biggest moment in Maine boxing history. On May 25th, 1965, in Lewiston, Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston to remain world heavyweight champ.

Now in 2011, professional boxing is illegal in maine and the sport’s popularity has plummeted.

“Boxing is a generational sport passed down from grandfather to son, father to son, it’s a generational sport. That’s not happening anymore.”

Bobby Wadleigh - Former Professional Boxer

“My very first year as an amateur, I fought 32 times because there was fights in Waterville, Skowhegan, Dexter, Dover, Portland. You could fight Thursday, Friday, Saturday nights because the economy was great. The money was there for individuals to have gyms, but it’s tough.”

There also is the issue of popular fighters. There are no local boxers that people recognize like Bobby Wadleigh and Joey Gamache. This problem also exists on the global level.

“I can’t tell you who the heavyweight champion is right now. I don’t know.”

“The heavyweight champion of the world right now in boxing. I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

“Uhh, the Russian guy. Klitchsko? Does he hold it?”

check out the video from WABI TV

Do you think boxing is dieing?  Is it the boxing fans swift to mma?