Lawmakers in New York State will not vote this year on whether to legalize mixed martial arts, according to a report Monday in the New York Daily News.
During an Assembly Democratic conference, Speaker Sheldon Silver conducted a closed-door informal vote. Afterward, he determined that there is not enough support to pass the mixed martial arts bill.
"It will not come to the floor this year," Silver told the newspaper. "I think it's evolving. I don't think two years ago it was a 50-50 proposition."
Marc Ratner, UFC vice president of regulatory affairs, expressed disappointment with Silver's ruling.
"It's like being in a baseball game and not getting a chance to bat," he told ESPN.com. "It's unfair. If the vote is taken and we lose, then we lose. But we should at least be given a chance."
New York is just one of two states with athletic commissions that doesn't sanction mixed martial arts -- Connecticut is the other. Forty-eight states have athletic commissions.
The state Senate voted 43-14 on April 18 to approve legislation to legalize and regulate mixed martial arts.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.