South Carolina’s House of Representatives voted unanimously to pass a bill that would lead towards the sport of MMA being sanctioned in the state.
A 57-0 vote sent the bill to South Carolina’s Senate for its final phase. However, fans in South Carolina shouldn’t be popping champagne corks any time soon.
Originally, the bill found its way to South Carolina’s House floor toward the end of the state’s legislative session last year. Reports indicate that it may be close to a year before an MMA event is held in the Palmetto State.
While it may take time before a ring or cage can be set up for a professional event, MMA appears to making it off of the South Carolina’s banned list.
The sport has been deemed illegal in the state since 2003. However, the state athletic commission and Sen. Jake Knotts worked together to help lift the ban. Knotts labeled the sport a ‘money maker’, giving the impression that the Republican Senator sees MMA events as an opportunity for the state to pull in more tax dollars.
South Carolina would become the 38th of 45 states regulated by athletic commissions to sanction the sport. Only Alabama, South Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska and Maine do not posses commissions.