Earlier this month, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo signed legislation authorizing competitive mixed martial arts in New York State. Following the Governor’s signing of this legislation, the Ultimate Fighting Championship announced that it will host a major Pay-Per-View event at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Nov. 12. Additionally, UFC will be adding another live event in Upstate New York before the end of the year. More information is available here.

VIDEO of the Governor delivering remarks and signing the bill is available on YouTube here and in TV-quality format here.

AUDIO of the Governor’s remarks is available here.

PHOTOS of the event will be available on the Governor’s Flickr page shortly.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

Well thank you. Good morning to all. This is a great day and a fun day and a special day. First, to my colleagues from the legislature. Majority Leader Joseph Morelle hails from the great County of Monroe. Senator Griffo, it’s a pleasure to be with you. Regards to Senator Flanagan, and congratulations on passing the bill. It was a long time coming, but it happened and good things are worth the wait, as you said, Senator Griffo. This was worth the wait. So let’s give a round of applause to all of the legislators who are here.

To Ronda and Lorenzo and Chris. We thank you for your patience. They worked very, very hard to get this bill passed. I supported it, but it had to wind its way through the legislative process, which could sometimes be circuitous. They would ask me, “Well what do they need to do to get it through the legislature?” and I would say, “I have no idea. I’m lucky if I get something through the legislature.” It takes me quite a long time but it all worked out in the end.

We used to chat about it coming to New York. And speaking as a prideful New Yorker with a tad of New York arrogance, I think this really completes the journey for MMA. Coming to New York means you’re coming to the place. Madison Square Garden is the international icon for great sports events and that MMA is going to be in this beautiful, redone garden that Mr. Dolan himself has really made a spectacular forum, I think that is really the culmination for MMA. So welcome to New York. It’s a pleasure to have you. Thank you for sticking with us and going through the long challenge. We’re very excited you’re here.

You should know that some of the UFC techniques actually were not started in the UFC, but were started in New York politics. It’s true. The ground and pound started in the New York State Assembly. That’s their tactic, that’s what they do – the ground and pound. The arm bar was started by the Senate Republicans, actually. They started the first arm bar. Senator Flanagan, who is not here because he’s at home practicing the arm bar, uses it very well. So there is a lot of similarity on that side.

MMA has really captured the imagination as a sport. There are millions of viewers. The growth has been exponential and it has been global and it’s been fascinating to watch the growth. We’re excited that that growth is going to come to New York. As a sport, as Majority Leader Morelle mentioned, we believed we added precautions that will make the sport a better sport. We have more health coverage, more insurance coverage. The State Athletic Commission is going to expand in size so we’ll have experts in MMA who will be on the State Athletics Commission and will be in a position to property regulate it.

So we will be in a position to properly regulate it but the economics that go with this sport are undeniable. Las Vegas, which has hosted many of these events, has done extraordinarily well from an economic point of view. Some estimates are as much as just under $200 million. So this is going to be a great economic engine for New York, not just downstate, not just in the garden but also in upstate New York. Mr. Fertitta and myself discussed events in cities across the state which are near the border where we can attract people from out of state to come into New York, which is a double benefit. Buffalo for example, you bring that Canadian market down, you bring those dollars into the Buffalo market etcetera so we are very excited. We did miss out on the economics for many years, that is now restored and I think we are going to be making up for that forthwith.

I am very excited about the November match here at the Garden. I am not a promoter but boy, if Ronda Rousey fought here in November that would be a hell of an event. I would call in to reserve my seat right now. Chris Weidman, a New York boy from Long Island New York, we would love to see you fight here. I was a little disappointed – I was supposed to go a couple of rounds with Chris today, this morning just to warm up, but I have an injury to my hand which has precluded that from happening. But as soon as the injury is better, we have a couple of rounds before you and me. So it is great, it is great for the sport, it is great for the state, we are going to do it right, we are going to do it well and that is how we do things here in the state of New York. So let’s sign the bill, let’s make this legal, congratulations to the legislators for making this happen. Thank you.