Sen. Reid to push for MMA regulation in New York

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid lost his skepticism of mixed martial arts when he saw everything the UFC has done for Nevada.

He thinks New York lawmakers will have a similar experience if they allow it into their state.

The Democratic senator plans to put his influence behind MMA's quest to become a sanctioned sport in New York, a lengthy process that has become one of the UFC's fondest wishes. Only a handful of states haven't sanctioned and regulated the growing sport.

Reid attended his second UFC show last weekend in Las Vegas. The former boxer, who once judged a fight that Sugar Ray Robinson lost, thought MMA was a fad before the Fertitta brothers built the UFC into a multimillion-dollar corporation and the sport's dominant promotion.