By Pramit Mohapatra

After news broke that the Maryland Senate had put off consideration of a bill to regulate MMA in that state by a day, I contacted Maryland Delegate Kirill Reznik about the status of that bill. Reznik is the sponsor of a similar bill in the Maryland House of Delegates. Delegate Reznik was kind enough to answer my questions by email.

Fight Ticker: Why did the Senate delay its decision one day?

Delegate Reznik: There are a few Senators that have issue with MMA because of what they believe is brutality (this was the word that was used). We are still working and are trying to make sure that a majority of the Senate will support us and avoid any amendments that are being offered to water-down or render the legislation useless. They delayed its decision to give the Senators time to talk about the amendments, to ensure the legality of their amendments and to allow for further discussion off the floor.

Fight Ticker: Will the decision now be made today (Wednesday)? Is this a yea or nay majority vote?

Delegate Reznik: The Bill was held over [again] until tomorrow [Thursday]. This part of the process is called the second reading in which amendments will be proposed (and are accepted on a majority vote) and the bill is then sent to Third Reader, which is decided by a yea or nay majority vote.

Fight Ticker: Do you think this delay is an indication one way or another on the viability of this bill?

Delegate Reznik: I do not. I feel that part of this is a matter of education on the sport and part of it is reassuring doubts which are natural concerning MMA. In the Senate, it seems that there is some concern with the bill, and we are hoping to help them understand the sport. I would encourage readers to contact their Senators regarding this issue and inform them of their support. They can find out who their Senators are here: mdelect.net.

Fight Ticker: Do you believe the bill will still pass in both the Senate and the House?

Delegate Reznik: I do believe it will pass in both Houses. While obviously, I have far less control of the bill in the Senate and leave the navigation of the Senate bill in Senator Conway’s hands, we have no reason to believe it will not.