The New York State Assembly has pulled regulation of mixed martial arts out of a budget bill that could have been approved as early as today, meaning the sport will remain illegal in the state for the foreseeable future. Among those in favor of legalizing MMA: Governor Paterson (after all, big-time UFC events could bring in millions of dollars), former Governor Pataki (who signed the original ban way back when), the head of the state’s athletic commission, and the State Senate, which already voted to legalize it earlier this month. (Incidentally, in 2007, the Assembly passed a legalization measure, but it didn’t make it through the Senate.) New York remains one of just six states without MMA regulation. [NYDN via MMAFighting.com]