Dear New York,

What the hell is wrong with you?!

Sorry, let's rephrase that. You have Broadway, the Empire State Building, the big green lady, and probably more vegan restaurants than any other city in the world. But you know what you don't have? You don't have MMA. And all the sparkling lights in Times Square can't make up for that.

So why are you holding out on us? Forty-two states and counting have adopted or modified legislation so that MMA events can take place there. But not you. Your old buddy Boston recently passed legislation to expand his boxing commission into an overall athletics commission so that MMA events can be sanctioned. Even New Jersey can hold events. Hell, Atlantic City's only two and a half hours away by car - maybe we should all just go there.

But that's not the point. New York is arguably the greatest city in America - or so it's sometimes considered. There are songs written about it! So why should New Yorkers pack up their "Fuck ‘Em Up, Chuck" and "Vas-Y, GSP" signs and head across state lines?

Let's all put on our capitalist hats right now and be a bit selfish here. There's money to be made. Money, you hear me? Lots of money. How much, you ask? Millions. Sound good? Yeah? Thought so. Why should your neighbor New Jersey be making that money when you could be? He didn't outperform you on any tests of anything!

New York has one of the biggest grandstands and most celebrated arenas in the whole country: Madison Square Garden. That place is huge, has lots of seats, and is a big tourist attraction. Why shouldn't our sport capitalize on what it has to offer?

Oh, sorry - what - are you inferring that it's not your fault that legislation's not getting passed? Of course it's your fault! Don't make me throw an arm bar on Long Island to make my point here.

Yes, it's true that the legislation's been inching forward little by little. And yes, it's true that last year Dana White had wanted an MSG event in the summer of 2010. But even though that's, of course, not happening, he's still optimistic that it'll pass before the end of 2010. Hell, he's so optimistic that not only does he think that you'll pass legislation before the end of 2010, he thinks that you'll even host an event before the end of 2010.

So, the question is: Will you?

It's kinda hard not to believe in Dana when he's so enthusiastic and dedicated, and I wanna believe, too, that the majority will rule. But you've still got one little problem, don't you? An ennui of a problem in the form of State Assemblyman Tom Reilly. He doesn't want you to have your MMA. He doesn't. He wants to keep it from you. He's like the Grinch on Christmas morning, trying to take away what the townspeople want. And the majority of us do want it.

What does Reilly think's gonna happen? Fire balls are going to fly through the sky and the world is going to fall to pieces and the depths of the deepest, darkest, most wretched seas are going to consume the Earth for all of eternity?

Really... seriously? Over...