Sports

Mixed Martial Arts

Chris Weidman

Mark La Monica

Robert Whittaker’s loss to Israel Adesanya two-plus years ago did more than take away his UFC middleweight title and add a loss on his record. It also put him on a path toward healing himself beyond the cuts and bruises and other physical ailments that come with being a mixed martial arts fighter. 
"There were a lot of mental things I got sorted post fight, but that I couldn't quite deal with until I had that L," Whittaker said Wednesday during UFC 271 media day in Houston. "And those mental changes stimulated the physical changes that I've made in my game. And in myself." 
Whittaker was knocked out in the second round by Adesanya at UFC 243 in front of a home crowd in Melbourne, Australia, in October 2019. It was only the second time Whittaker had been knocked out in a fight, and it made Adesanya the unified middleweight champion and sent his star soaring even higher. 
"After the fight, I was just burnt out. I didn’t want to get back in the gym. And if you don't go in the gym, you're not going to be fighting very long," Whittaker, 31, said. "I kind of recognized the signs. I didn't want to jump back in the gym or I wasn't enjoying the game. And I had to sort that out because I wasn't going to drag my feet. This game is too dangerous. This game takes too much out of you to go out like that. So I had to work it out." 
Now seemingly on the other side of all that, and after three straight wins, Whittaker again faces Adesanya for the middleweight title. This time, however, he’s the challenger and walks out first to the octagon inside Houston’s Toyota Center on Saturday night to close out UFC 271. 
Adesanya, the 32-year-old star who said he just signed a lucrative new deal with the UFC, empathizes with Whittaker’s sentiment. 
"He talked about his dark place he went to after the last time I beat him. I've been there, everyone's been there in their own personal way, so I understand. I empathize when you don't want to get up and all that stuff and you lose motivation. So yeah, I'm glad he's pulled himself out of it. I'm glad he's feeling much better, he's a better man, a better fighter, better all that. So, yeah, take him to the dark place again." 
Adesanya (21-1) is tied with Long Island’s Chris Weidman for the second most consecutive UFC middleweight title defenses with three, having stopped Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori thus far. Anderson Silva remains the middleweight gold standard with 10 consecutive title defenses, a streak stopped by Weidman in 2013. 
"I haven't lost that step. I'm still hungry. You know, I'm 32, I'm fresh. I'm young," Adesanya said. "And I keep saying this week I've got the training camp. I went back to the young Izzy, the kid that was just soaking everything up and just be real curious. Like, how does that work? Oh, let me try that and I'll do it. I'll do it the next day. And I'll be successful at it or if I fail, I'll try it again. So yeah, I haven't lost that step. I never did." 
Since their first fight, Whittaker (23-5) has won three in a row, most recently pitching a five-round shutout against Kelvin Gastelum last April. Before that, he won unanimous decisions against Jared Cannonier and Darren Till. 
"I think our skill levels are much closer than that first fight dictated, but, I don't know, I lost, so I can't really comment too much, maybe they're not," Whittaker said. "I guess we’ll wait for the second fight to find out. But one thing I do know, though, is I've worked my absolute butt off to get here and to get in there and to give him a much, much better showing than the first one."

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UFC 271: With new outlook, Robert Whittaker expects a better showing vs. Israel Adesanya

The new Whittaker expects better show vs. Adesanya at UFC 271

AFP_1L57E4

We are into the third quarter of 2022, which means it's time for an update to our MMA pound-for-pound rankings in both the men's and women's categories. 
 This list updates quarterly, give or take a week or so depending on the schedule of events, to avoid recency bias and to let the fighters do their thing and give them an even playing field to make their statements in the cage.&nbsp; 
 Another reminder: Fighters are removed from consideration if they haven't fought in two years and don't have an upcoming fight officially scheduled. 
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<h2> Men's pound-for-pound MMA rankings </h2> 
<h3> 1. Kamaru Usman (UFC, 20-1) </h3> 
 After 19 straight wins, most recently&nbsp;a five-round unanimous decision win over Colby Covington at UFC 268 in November, the talk surrounding Kamaru Usman has centered on his place among the all-time welterweight greats. Hint: It's high up on the list, somewhere in the neighborhood of Georges St-Pierre and&nbsp;Matt Hughes. 
 Previous rank: 1 
 Next fight: vs. Leon Edwards at UFC 278 on Aug. 20. 
<h3> 2. Alexander Volkanovski (UFC, 25-1) </h3> 
 If Volkanovski looks unbeatable, that's because he is. The UFC featherweight champion has won 22 straight fights, including four title defenses. He most recently won a third decision over Max Holloway at UFC 276. He's out for a while with a hand injury suffered in the Holloway fight. 
 Previous rank: 3 
 Next fight: TBD 
<h3> 3. Israel Adesanya (UFC, 23-1) </h3> 
 He's the second longest reigning middleweight champion in UFC history with five consecutive title defenses, trailing only <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/mixed-martial-arts/ufc-champions-middleweight-1.26392945">Anderson Silva</a>. He also has reached Silva status in that he has started to draw some criticism for not finishing his opponents. His last three wins all went the distance. Should he concern himself with such a critique? Not so much.&nbsp; 
 Previous rank: 2 
 Next fight: TBD 
<h3> 4. Charles Oliveira (UFC, 33-8, 1 no contest) </h3> 
 Perhaps the best non-champion champion in UFC history, Oliveira is still looked upon as the 155-pound king despite missing weight by a half-pound last May and being stripped of his title. What did he do the next night in the cage? He submitted Justin Gaethje in the first round for 11th straight win and 19th stoppage in the UFC.&nbsp; 
 Previous rank:&nbsp;5 
 Next fight: vs. Islam Makhachev for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. 
<h3> 5. Francis Ngannou (UFC, 17-3) </h3> 
 Advised to pull out of his first title defense because of a knee injury, Francis Ngannou instead showed off improved wrestling to beat Ciryl Gane at UFC 270&nbsp;last January. Now we wait for the&nbsp; heavyweight champion to recover from knee surgery. 
 Previous rank: 4 
 Next fight:&nbsp;TBD 
<h3> 6. Jiri Prochazka (UFC, 29-3-1) </h3> 
 He's only had three UFC fights. He's finished all three opponents and is the reigning light heavyweight champion. Heck of a start in what's recognized as the top promotion in the sport. Prochazka&nbsp;has 13 straight wins and a remarkable 97% finish rate in his 20 wins. He has said he wants his first title defense to be a rematch against Glover Teixeira.&nbsp; 
 Previous rank: NR 
 Next fight: TBA 
<h3> 7. Deiveson Figueiredo (UFC, 21-2-1) </h3> 
 The&nbsp;Deiveson Figueiredo-Brandon Moreno trilogy sits at 1-1-1, with&nbsp;Figueiredo winning the most recent fight -- and the flyweight title -- at UFC 270 in January. 
 Previous rank: 8 
 Next fight: TBD 
<h3> 8. Aljamain Sterling (UFC, 21-3) </h3> 
 Petr Yan, in the top 10 on quite a few P4P lists,&nbsp;was a 1-5 favorite heading into UFC 273.&nbsp;And then Aljamain Sterling, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion, beat Yan by split decision to unify the division's belt and assert himself as the undisputed champion of the 135-pound weight class.&nbsp; 
 Previous rank: 9 
 Next fight: vs. TJ Dillashaw at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. 
<h3> 9. Dustin Poirier&nbsp;(UFC, 28-7, 1 NC) </h3> 
 In the last six years, Poirier has two losses -- to Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. Surrounding those losses are wins over Conor McGregor, Eddie Alvarez, Anthony Pettis, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje and Dan Hooker. Five of those fighters have held UFC gold in some format. 
 Previous rank:&nbsp;10 
 Next fight: talks of facing Michael Chandler at UFC 281 at MSG in November. 
<h3> 10. Stipe Miocic (UFC, 20-4) </h3> 
 Miocic is considered by many to be the greatest heavyweight champion in UFC history, having successfully defended his title a record four times. But he did get stopped by Francis Ngannou in March 2021, Miocic's second KO loss as a heavyweight champion, and hasn't fought since. 
 Previous rank: 7 
 Next fight: TBA 
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<h2> Women's pound-for-pound MMA rankings </h2> 
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<h3> 1. Amanda Nunes (UFC, 22-5) </h3> 
 How did Amanda Nunes respond in the rematch after losing her bantamweight title last December against Julianna Pena? Have a look at the judges' scorecards from UFC 277 in favor of Nunes:&nbsp;50-45, 50-44, 50-43.&nbsp;She remains one of the best to ever do it in the octagon. Nunes also represents 67% of Shevchenko's career losses. P.S. She also is still&nbsp;the UFC featherweight champion. 
 Previous rank: 2 
 Next: TBD. 
<h3> 2. Valentina Shevchenko (UFC, 23-3) </h3> 
 For the first time in about five years, Valentina Shevchenko looked beatable in the cage when she fought Taila Santos at UFC 275 and won a split decision. That fight more than doubled her rounds lost total (she went from 2 to 5)&nbsp;in her last eight fights. 
 Previous rank: 1 
 Next fight: TBD. 
<h3> 3. Cris Cyborg Justino (Bellator, 26-2, 1 no contest) </h3> 
 At&nbsp;age 37, she remains at the top of her game. Her featherweight opponents in Bellator have given her little trouble, not unlike most of her other opponents in other promotions for her career. 
 Previous rank: 4 
 Next fight: TBD. 
<h3> 4. Zhang Weili (UFC, 22-3) </h3> 
 After twice losing to Rose Namajunas in 2021, Zhang returned in 2022 to knock out former strawweight queen Joanna&nbsp;Jedrzejczyk at UFC 275 to put her right back in title contention. 
 Previous rank: 6 
 Next fight: TBD. 
<h3> 5. Kayla Harrison (PFL, 14-0) </h3> 
 The knock on Harrison has been &quot;But who has she been fighting?&quot; The retort is &quot;Whoever they put in front of her, and she's mowing them down with 11 stoppages, including eight in the first round.&quot; 
 Previous rank: 7 
 Next fight: vs. Martina Jindrova in the PFL semifinals&nbsp;on Aug. 20. 
<h3> 6. Julianna Pena (UFC, 11-5) </h3> 
 Julianna Pena did exactly what she said she would do but nobody but her and her camp believed she could: Beat Amanda Nunes at UFC 269. But in the rematch, Nunes was too much for her. Pena showed tremendous heart and toughness, though, in the dominant loss that included becoming the first woman in a UFC fight to be knocked down three times in a round. 
 Previous rank: 5 
 Next: TBD 
<h3> 7. Carla Esparza (UFC, 19-6) </h3> 
 Seven-plus years after submitting Rose Namajunas to become the UFC's first women's strawweight champion, she reclaimed her title with a split decision over Namajunas at UFC 274.&nbsp; 
 Previous rank: 10 
 Next fight: TBD. 
<h3> 8. Rose Namajunas (UFC, 11-5) </h3> 
 After reclaiming her strawweight&nbsp;title and defending it against Zhang in 2021, Namajunas lost it again to Esparza. 
 Previous rank: 3 
 Next fight: TBD. 
<h3> 9. Jessica Andrade&nbsp;(UFC, 23-9) </h3> 
 Since losing a title shot against Shevchenko, Andrade has won two straight fights, a first-round submission of Amanda Lemos last April and a first-round TKO of Cynthia Calvillo in September 2021. 
 Previous rank:&nbsp; 9 
 Next fight: TBD 
<h3> 10. Marina Rodriguez (UFC, 16-1-2) </h3> 
 Her four-fight win streak includes a stoppage of Amanda Ribas and decision wins over Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Mackenzie Dern and&nbsp;Yan Xiaonan. 
 Previous rank:&nbsp; NR 
 Next fight: vs. Amanda Lemos at UFC 280 on Oct. 22.

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From left: Kamaru Usman, Alexandar Volkanovski, Aljamain Sterling.

Men's MMA p4p rankings photos

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From left: Valentina Shevchenko, Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena, and Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili.

Women's MMA p4p rankings photos

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Top 10 MMA pound-for-pound fighter rankings

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It's hard to believe that after five years, 27 sanctioned and regulated events and nearly $6 million in ticket sales tax revenue collected by the state that there ever was any debate about legalizing mixed martial arts in New York. 
But, oh, was there plenty of debate. Eight years of it, in fact, with much of it rooted in political wrangling than anything actually involving the sport of MMA. 
That’s history now, a collection of tales left to future documentaries and to-be-written memoirs. 
After another successful major MMA card last month at Madison Square Garden — where UFC 268 posted the fourth-highest live gate of any event ever at the famed venue — the state of mixed martial arts in New York makes all of that look even sillier now than it did then. The New York State Athletic Commission, after some early hiccups, is running smoothly, fans are coming out in bigger numbers than before the pandemic and the state is making money. 
"Think about how long it took us to get here. And we’re the No. 1 all-time gate here at MSG and now No. 4," UFC president Dana White said after UFC 268. "Think of all the massive events that have been here. And we’re No. 1. Sheldon Silver is in jail, and we’re No. 1." 
Silver was the State Assembly Speaker under whom the bill to legalize MMA never made it out of committee. In January 2015, he was arrested and charged with corruption and later convicted on those federal charges. 
MMA was legalized on March 22, 2016, by an overwhelming 113-25 vote in the State Assembly. Then came Nov. 12, 2016. UFC 205. The first MMA event in New York City. Madison Square Garden. Conor McGregor at the height of his stardom. 
"For the UFC and for the sport, it was just such an important night, because it eliminated a stigma. It showed that we could deliver a product at the highest level you could ever have. We’re not talking about any market in the country, we’re talking about New York City," UFC chief operating officer Lawrence Epstein told Newsday. "It was the culmination of a lot of work, but it was just the beginning of what was going to happen with the UFC and mixed martial arts in the state of New York." 
For the New York State Athletic Commission, the real work was about to get started.
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<h3>Growing pains</h3> 
What makes an MMA event successful in the eyes of the New York State Athletic Commission? 
"That you don’t hear about NYSAC in the news," executive director Kim Sumbler said jokingly during an interview with Newsday. 
But there is a good deal of truth in that statement. When the UFC first started bringing its events to New York, there were several times the commission came up in not necessarily the nicest of connotations. 
At UFC 205 in November 2016, the first MMA event sanctioned and regulated by NYSAC, there was some confusion about allowable weight differences between fighters. Thiago Alves weighed in at 162.6 pounds, far above the 156-pound limit for a lightweight fight. That forced Jim Miller to partially rehydrate and technically miss weight at 157.6 pounds. But that put him within five pounds of Alves, so the fight could happen under NYSAC rules. The differences were spelled out in NYSAC’s guidelines, but since this was the first event in New York and one of the first times such an issue had come to light in MMA, the commission received some negative commentary in the moment. Plus, Kelvin Gastelum was suspended for six months by NYSAC (later rescinded) for not weighing in after he pulled out of his fight with Donald Cerrone during the weigh-ins because he was too heavy. 
The negative narrative continued from fighters and their camps, focusing on the amount of time it took to do medicals after weigh-ins. That talk has subsided in the years since as NYSAC has gained more experience and its procedures are more well-known. 
"We don't have any more medicals than anybody else in the country," Sumbler said. "What the big difference is with us, it's the physical. I want to give our team the best possible opportunity to get to know this athlete, know their exact current condition before we can make a decision on whether they're able to compete the next day or not." 
At a UFC event in Albany in December 2016, NYSAC was criticized by fighters for not having a doctor on site who could stitch them up after the fight. Instead, they were sent to a nearby hospital, causing more negative headlines. 
Six months later, UFC 210 in Buffalo was a triple combination of doom for the commission. Daniel Cormier first weighed in at 206.2 pounds, 1.2 pounds over the limit for a light heavyweight title fight. A few minutes later, he removed all his clothing and was covered by a towel as he stood on the scale again. He grabbed the towel with both hands and came in at 205 pounds, thus qualifying to defend the title against Anthony Johnson. No observers from the commission intervened to stop Cormier. 
That towel was held in place by two UFC employees, just as it always had been when fighters needed to remove all their clothing on the scale to try to get under the weight limit. 
"Since that time, we don't let any of our employees [do it]," Marc Ratner, UFC’s vice president of regulatory affairs, told Newsday. "It has to be neutral people or commission people who put a towel up." 
In the years since, the UFC has evolved from a towel to a curtained hoop to now a draped box structure that surrounds the scale to protect fighters from any unnecessary exposure. 
Also on that Buffalo card, Pearl Gonzalez initially was deemed ineligible to compete because she had breast implants. It was an "archaic regulation," Sumbler said, from boxing, and one that was addressed that day, allowing Gonzalez to fight. 
"Not understanding the nuances and the differences between boxing and MMA at the time, in New York's mind I think it was more of a collective, ‘This is a combat sport, so we're going to regulate them all the same,’" Sumbler said. "Come to realize of course, that they're very different sports. Although yes, they are both combat sports, they're very different sports, and they have to be regulated very differently. And rules that apply to boxing don't necessarily apply to MMA." 
That Buffalo card also saw confusion with the use of replay and the rules surrounding a downed opponent in the Chris Weidman-Gegard Mousasi fight. Mousasi connected with several knees, and the referee paused the fight, ruling the knees as illegal. During Weidman's recovery time, the outside referee watched replay and said the knees were legal. Weidman was then declared unfit to continue and Mousasi declared the winner. It was believed at the time that NYSAC did not allow for replay review, but the commission issued a statement days later saying its use is allowed. 
NYSAC also amended language in its MMA guidelines after the Buffalo card to state a fighter "shall not make physical contact with any person or object other than the scale." 
That language came into play at UFC 244 in November 2019, when Gastelum made contact with another person while on the scale. His weight was deemed legal and he was allowed to fight, but NYSAC said Gastelum, who has a history of struggling to make weight, would face disciplinary action. 
Then there was the fallout from Conor McGregor’s bus attack during UFC 223 week in Brooklyn. He was not fighting that week, but when he stormed the Barclays Center after media day and launched a hand cart into the window of a bus carrying Khabib Nurmagomedov and other fighters back to their hotel, that had a trickle-down effect. While McGregor was in court facing felony criminal mischief and assault charges, Ray Borg had glass in his eye and pulled out of his fight, and Michael Chiesa suffered cuts to his face and was deemed by NYSAC as unfit to fight. On the morning of weigh-ins, Max Holloway, who accepted the fight against Nurmagomedov on six days’ notice, was not allowed to continue cutting weight. 
"We took a lot of beatings, and I think sometimes beatings are good," said Sumbler, who began as the MMA project coordinator before becoming NYSAC's executive director in August 2017. "Beatings help us learn and grow. Nobody likes a beating, especially publicly. But I think accepting things that we didn't do so well and accepting responsibility for those things, all you can do is change it. All you can do is work hard to make it better. I think we've done that. I think we've done that very well. And we'll continue to do that." 
These are among a small handful of incidents that have arisen in five years of regulating a sport where part of its appeal is that anything can and often does happen on the road to the fight, let alone the fight itself. That’s a run of 27 events regulated, which includes more than 300 fights and more than 600 fighters. 
"They hadn't really had MMA, so it took some learning and education, but ever since we've been there, it's been wonderful," Ratner said. "Really, we've had very limited problems whatsoever and we just go forward and we love coming there, whether it's the Garden or Barclays or any anywhere else we've been it's been fabulous."
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<h3>New York State in mind</h3> 
Keeping with the extended level of care for fighter safety, NYSAC requires its doctors to enter the cage in between rounds to examine the fighters. 
Yes, referees and inspectors already are in the cage to keep an eye on the fighters, but they’re not doctors, and they wouldn’t necessarily know of any past medical issues with a particular fighter. To help with this continuity of care, the doctor who examined the fighter at weigh-ins the day before is assigned to their fight as well. 
"Having our doctor go in there and having a look at these athletes, getting a close look, I think it just provides more peace of mind to us and provides more peace of mind to the referees that are in the ring," Sumbler said. 
Sumbler said the commission faced early opposition to this idea, but that has changed, to the point where other states have started doing the same thing. 
"It's a good tool that we use to provide, again, that extended level of care," Sumbler said. "And that is something that other commissions are picking up. They're starting to use it and so yeah, I'm very proud of that. Because we really took a lot of heat for that in the beginning. But it's become commonplace, it's become normal and people have realized that it's not the disruption that they thought it was going to be. And it provides our doctors with that added knowledge." 
<h3>The financial impact</h3> 
It wasn't until 2013 that then Gov. Andrew Cuomo made his first public comments on legalizing MMA in New York, citing it as a potential new revenue stream for the state. That certainly has been the case so far. 
After 13 UFC events in New York — five at MSG, three at Barclays Center and one each on Long Island, in Albany, Buffalo, Rochester and Utica — the state has collected $5.2 million in revenue from ticket sales tax. 
Add in the 14 other events combined by Bellator, PFL, World Series of Fighting, CES and Flex, and the estimated total hovers around $6 million. Bellator has promoted three events here — two at MSG and one at Nassau Coliseum. The PFL set up residency at the Coliseum for parts of two seasons in addition to its inaugural event and championship nights at Hulu Theater. 
MMA promoters pay 8.5% sales tax on ticket revenue, the highest of any state in the country. It’s more than twice the 3% tax boxing promoters pay here, making New York the only state that differentiates between the two. 
The UFC estimated a total economic impact of more than $170 million for its New York events, which factors in hotel stays, dining, bars and clubs and all the accoutrements of a weekend stay in New York. Approximately 250,000 fans have attended pro MMA events in New York so far. 
"We know that even though maybe we didn't need it, there's absolute value to being regulated and legalized in the state of New York and of course, doing events there," Epstein said. "It's no secret New York is a big city, it's a big media center. There are lots of ripple effects that come out of things that happen in New York and there are no ripple effects from things that don't happen in New York." 
<h3>Memorable moments</h3>

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Five years is not a long time for history books. But in mixed martial arts, it represents 17.9% of the sport’s existence. In that time, legalized MMA in New York has delivered its fair share of iconic and notable moments. 
The list begins — and probably is topped by — Conor McGregor becoming the first double champ at UFC 205. The event, which included three title fights, set a promotional and MSG record with a $17.7 million live gate. The 20,427 fans rivaled both Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fights at MSG. The 15,480 fans at the ceremonial weigh-ins the day before set a UFC record. 
UFC 268 attendance last month topped the first card with 20,715 fans. The live gate was $9.9 million, fourth best in MSG history and eighth best in UFC history. 
"What it means is that the fans are really, really interested in coming here. They love the event," said Joel Fisher, MSG’s executive vice president of marquee events and operations. "Anytime you have an event at the world's most famous arena, you expect it to be packed. So I think it's very important to all of us, to both the UFC, the city and Madison Square Garden." 
Weidman, the face of the fight to legalize MMA in his home state, lost his first two fights in New York octagons. Then came UFC Long Island on July 22, 2017. That saw Weidman, the former middleweight champion from Baldwin, atop the octagon inside Nassau Coliseum basking in the love of his hometown after a victory. Seemingly everyone there that summer night knew him and the five other Long Islanders on the card. 
New York has seen Fedor Emelianenko fight here, the birth of the PFL and its million-dollar night of champions, the attendance of a sitting U.S. president at UFC 244, the crowning of Nurmagomedov as undefeated lightweight champion and Cormier’s classic "Thug Rose! Thug Rose! Thug Rose!" 
"New York City is amazing. The people here always show me love, kind of to my surprise sometimes just how much they appreciate what I do," said "Thug" Rose Namajunas, who is 3-0 in New York, all title fights. "New York City inspires me. They’re the toughest people in the world. This is the coolest city. A little chaotic sometimes for my liking, but I just love the environment." 
<h3>What's next for New York?</h3> 
Sumbler said NYSAC is at a "very comfortable" level in regulating the sport, but there’s more to be done. 
There has been little to no middle ground in MMA events in New York. There have been a handful of amateur events, which are regulated by third-party organizations licensed by NYSAC. But all but two of the 27 sanctioned MMA events have been the top promotions. 
The pandemic’s shutdown of events gave NYSAC the time and the opportunity to evaluate its position on sanctioning pro-am events. Before, those weren’t an option. Now, they are. 
In October, Flex Fight Series promoted by Lindenhurst’s Nic Canobbio hosted the first pro-am MMA event in New York at The Sports Arena in St. James. Their next event is scheduled for Dec. 11. 
"To be able to be the first person, the first organization to do it in New York, it was a great feeling," the longtime amateur MMA promoter Canobbio said. "It was a historic night for us. And it was a proud moment for me to do that, to reach a goal that I had."
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The change is significant. With the state’s insurance laws for MMA events, the cost of coverage is a hefty burden for smaller promoters. A pro-am event lets the promoter dabble in the pro circuit, with just a few pro fights atop a card heavy with amateurs. It elevates the quality of fighters they can attract and gives the fans a noticeable difference in what they’re watching, yet still keeps a strong focus on developing local amateurs. It also keeps their insurance costs down. 
"Promoters are now coming back and saying 'OK, you know, this is cost effective for us to do, where it really wasn't before,' " Sumbler said. "So now all of these people, they want to do pro-am events. So I think that part of our program is really going to blow up in 2022." 
Sumbler said NYSAC does have a minimum rounds requirement for a pro-am event. It serves as a way to both build up the local promoters and fights as well as ensure the ticket buyer is getting their money’s worth. 
The challenge will come in smaller promoters finding their financial sweet spots. The insurance premiums for New York are the highest in the country, with promoters having to carry a $1 million insurance coverage for life-threatening brain injuries for pro fighters. UFC and Bellator can afford that number, and they can absorb certain medical costs for their fighters and provide medical staff to assist. 
"This level is tough because, you know, we're not the UFC," Canobbio said. "We can’t afford to cover some medical bills, we don't have a doctor on staff to send for MRIs, and this and that." 
He plans to continue to promote Flex Fights pro-am events in 2022. 
Sumbler said she wants to see a fighter be able to start, build and make a career in New York without being forced to go elsewhere because of guidelines and regulations. Stardom changing a fighter’s geography is one thing, but this city is no stranger to hosting stars. 
"New York has always been the mecca for boxing," Sumbler said. "Now that New York has MMA, I really want New York to be the mecca for MMA as well. I have high aspirations. Nevada and California and all those states, they've done a fantastic job. I don't have as many MMA fights as they do. But I want that many. I want more."

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NYSAC on top of its game as MMA in New York continues to grow since legalization in 2016

NYSAC on top of its game as MMA in New York continues to grow

Gian Villante wanted to win his final fight, for all the reasons you’d expect: the satisfaction of victory, a nice ending to a long career and the extra paycheck. 
But there was another reason. He wanted to give a shoutout to his football players, the 8th graders at Salk Middle School and the varsity players at MacArthur High School in Levittown. 
The first part didn’t happen, though, as Villante lost by TKO to Chris Barnett at UFC 268 on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. The second part, though, he made sure that happened. 
"Say hello to all my Seahawks, all my Generals, all the people in attendance, all the guys watching at home, I love you all," Villante told Newsday backstage after the fight. "Thank you so much for all the support and reintroducing me to something I didn’t realize how much I missed. I love it. Thank you for helping me find the next path. Coaching those guys made it as clear as could be that’s the next thing I want to be doing." 
Villante retired from MMA on Saturday night and will pursue teaching and coaching. He is finishing the remaining few credits for his degree from Hofstra in June. He started coaching this past season. 
But on Saturday night, there was the matter of one last fight. One last go-round. 
"It was a fun ride," the Levittown-raised Villante said. "I enjoyed it, whatever the result." 
Barnett (22-7) landed a spinning wheel kick that sent Villante to the mat in the second round. He then moved in and punched his way to a TKO as referee Dan Miragliotta stopped the heavyweight bout at the 2:23 mark. Villante (17-14) got back to his feet right after the stoppage and was in good spirits as his career came to an end. 
"You don’t see too many 265-pound guys throwing spinning kicks. Credit to him," Villante said. Cool way to go out, at MSG. No regrets." 
Barnett was the first fighter on the early prelims to be interviewed inside the octagon by Joe Rogan. Barnett used much of that time to praise Villante and build him after losing his retirement fight in front of a home crowd. 
"My biggest show of respect is taking my moment and giving it to someone else," Barnett said in his post-fight news conference. 
"Real classy," Villante said to Barnett when they crossed paths backstage. 
"That made a huge difference, even for me," said Chris Weidman, Villante’s longtime friend and cornerman. 
The two have known each other since they wrestled in high school nearly two decades ago. They came up together in wrestling and again later in mixed martial arts. 
"Just thinking about our whole careers, I started to get emotional," Weidman said about the locker room before the fight. "I cried twice." 
Villante said he didn’t get too emotional before the fight. 
"Chris was trying to get me emotional all week," said Villante, who was in good spirits backstage after the fight as he said his goodbyes to UFC staffers, officials and the friendly faces built upon 10 years in the promotion.

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UFC 268: Gian Villante ends his MMA career at MSG

Villante's career comes to an end at UFC 268 at MSG

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Dylan Mantello can quote from Franklin D. Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela and Aristotle, and be conversationally on point with his usage of their words rather than sound like someone who Googled famous quotes just to sound smart. 
So right off the bat, Mantello doesn’t fit into society’s general preconceived image of a mixed martial arts fighter. 
The Sayville-raised Mantello also describes himself as "risk averse," which doesn’t quite jive with the nature of his chosen sport, one full of punches to the face, kicks to the ribs, chokes around the neck and the occasional albeit accidental pokes to the eyes. 
But for Mantello, 28 and an undefeated fast-rising lightweight prospect, he views his self-aware description through the opposite side of the lens. 
"I got to a point where, it was a bigger risk if I didn't try it," Mantello said of competing in MMA. "I thought about what my life would be like if I didn't do it. And that scared me way more than anybody could in the cage. So it's really running away from that fear, as opposed to the other fear. Two different, competing fears. I think you have to pick the right one to motivate you." 
He appears to have made the right choice thus far. Mantello, who trains under Ray Longo and Matt Serra, went 6-0 as an amateur and is 4-0 as a professional. He’ll fight John Ramirez (5-5) from Iowa on Friday at Ring of Combat 74 in Atlantic City for the vacant lightweight championship. 
Mantello is one of three LAW-MMA fighters competing for titles on the card. Shirley’s James Gonzalez will be defending his national featherweight title and Merrick’s Dennis Buzukja his regional featherweight title. Teammates Lauren Braccia, Damion Nelson and Chris Alcala also are on the ROC 74 card, as are John Caldone and Kareem Kline of Long Island MMA in Farmingdale. The fights will stream on <a href="https://www.fite.tv/watch/ring-of-combat-74/2pa6d/">fite.tv</a>. 
Mantello lives in Island Park with his fiancee, Samantha, and her 4-year-old son, Jordan. He works full-time for a leasing company for retail shopping centers. Balanced with work, family and his fighting career goals, the 6-1 lightweight appears to be taking his first title bout in stride as he prepares. 
"I'm just a pessimist by nature, so I envision the worst possible thing happening to me," Mantello said. "So every single workout, honestly, I'm training like there's a guy out there ready to kill me, hurt me in front of my whole family and embarrass me, so as far as I'm concerned, that's as much motivation as I need. If I get a belt, that means something afterwards, but beforehand, it doesn't." 
Nicknamed "The Quiet Man" after the 1952 John Wayne movie he used to watch every St. Patrick’s Day with his father, Mantello gravitated toward fighting at a young age. Middle school, in fact. Except those fights were in the streets, not cages. 
He began actual MMA training while a freshman in college at LSU. His passion for the sport continued through college, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in English, and took greater hold when he returned home to Long Island. 
"Once I graduated, I said I this is exactly what I want to do with my life," Mantello said. "So I said let's do it. Let's burn the boats and commit myself to it." 
While sitting in a class at Hofstra in his first semester of graduate school, Mantello searched the web for nearby MMA gyms. He found Longo and Weidman MMA in Garden City, about 1.1 miles away from where he was sitting at the time. 
"I got up after the class and got in my car and drove there," Mantello said. 
He met Longo, who at the time had trained two UFC champions (he’s up to three now) and close to a dozen UFC fighters. One of those two champions, Chris Weidman, was training in the gym at the time. 
"He's very intimidating," Mantello said of meeting Longo for the first time. "You know, he’s got the eyes." 
Graduate school was over. 
"Just something that grabbed me," Mantello said. "Who knows why, but it was something that never went away. So I said, This is what I want to do with my life.' "

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Sayville's 'Quiet Man' Dylan Mantello goes for his first title at Ring of Combat

He's a pessimist. He's risk averse. And he's an undefeated MMA fighter.

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