Following a battle that lasted nearly two decades, mixed martial arts has been legalised in the state of New York. It is a major boost for the UFC, which has been leading the fight to be able to hold events in New York, and has already committed to heading there at least four times each year.The New York State Assembly voted 113-25 in favour of approving the return of MMA, which was banned in 1997 by then-governor George Pataki. Back then, MMA was still largely unregulated, and it was not until more rules and safety considerations were brought into effect that many of the 50 states that permit the sport gave it the green light.Nevada, the state in which the UFC holds the majority of their major events, did not authorise it until 2001. Irish star Conor McGregor could soon be fighting in New York This has been a long time coming, and on behalf of our New York UFC, I want to offer heartfelt thanks to those who voted for this bill, said Lorenzo Fertitta, UFCs chairman.Through letters and phone calls, rallies and social media, New Yorks MMA and UFC fans have lent their voices of support. It took a while, but their voices have been heard.We look forward to hosting our first New York event in the worlds most famous arena, Madison Square Garden, home to so many epic sporting events throughout the decades. McGregor & Rousey: What now? What is next for the UFC superstars? The UFC had attempted to push the issue late last year, when they announced the scheduling of UFC 197 for Madison Square Garden, despite the MMA ban still being in place.They had also filed for a preliminary court injunction to allow it to take place, although this was ultimately unsuccessful. UFC could now make its debut at Madison Square Garden The event, which takes place on April 23, was subsequently booked for the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.A number of local fighters will likely feature when the first New York card is held, and one of those could be Chris Weidman.Weidman, a former UFC middleweight champion from Long Island, says that the news is a dream come true. Chris Weidman is excited about the prospect of fighting in his home state Ive been fighting now for seven years, and missing out on opportunities to fight in front of my family, friends and the fans here in New York, he said.Every year you hope and it kept falling through. So for it to finally happen, its a dream come true for me, and its a dream come true for all these New York fans.All that remains is for governor Andrew Cuomo to sign the bill into effect. Cuomo had already included MMA in his proposed state budget for 2016-17, meaning it would be a surprise should he not do so. 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PAUL, Minn.Sky Sports Tennis analyst Mark Petchey was joined by world No 1 Andy Murray at the SkyPad following his epic victory against Kei Nishikori. Murray was pushed to his limits by Nishikori in the longest Tour Finals match played in the events seven years at Londons O2 Arena, coming through in a gruelling 6-7 (9-11) 6-4 6-4 victory. Six months half price Upgrade to Sky Sports to watch Man Utd v Arsenal on Saturday and get the first six months half price But Murray finally subdued the Japanese star in three hours and 20 minutes and will be guaranteed a place in the last four if he defeats Stan Wawrinka on Friday. It is the first time Murray has started the Tour Finals with two consecutive group stage wins since his tournament debut in Shanghai in 2008. Murray beats Nishikori in epic Andy Murray edges out Kei Nishikori in epic at ATP World Tour Finals The Scot spoke about the opening set and the amount of tough rallies along with his stunning reaction winner into the open court from an impossible angle.The court is fast, its quick so its not easy to gain control of the points. Highlights of Andy Murray v Kei Nishikori from the ATP World Tour Finals Murray commented that his marathon matches with Nishikori have been due to the fact both players put a high percentage of their serves in play and also discussed the amount of three-set matches the fifth seed had won in 2016.ddddddddddddheck our game-by-game coverage from all group matches at the ATP World Tour Finals in London - including Andy Murray v Stan Wawrinka on Friday - on skysports.com/tennis, our app for mobile devices and iPad and our Twitter account @skysportstennis.Upgrade to Sky Sports now to watch Man Utd v Arsenal this Saturday and get the first six months half price! Also See: Murray beats Nishikori in epic WATCH: How good is Murray? One of the best matches ever Murrays service syndrome over? ' ' '