Dear New York: Thanks for the Benjamins! Love, New Jersey

Despite the best efforts of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), former Governor David Paterson and even one Frank Shamrock, the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA) is still outlawed in the state of New York.
That means an Anderson Silva vs. Georges St. Pierre "superfight" could never be considered for Madison Square Garden, despite the kind of revenue it would generate for "The World's Most Famous Arena" and beyond.
And just a short trip over the bridge, the Jersey boys couldn't be happier.
That's because "The Garden State" will be planting a few green seeds this Spring after both UFC and Strikeforce make its way down the New Jersey Turnpike to hold a pay-per-view and Showtime telecast, respectively.
UFC 128: "Shogun vs. Jones" at the Prudential Center in Newark and Strikeforce: "Fedor vs. Silva" at the Izod Center in East Rutherford will be just two of the 43 sanctioned MMA events hosted by New Jersey in 2011, according to The Star Ledger.

From NJ.com:

A study done by UFC last month and provided to The Star-Ledger showed a mixed martial arts event at an arena such as Madison Square Garden would generate 10,000 local attendees, 5,100 from "day trip" locations and 1,900 visitors who would require a hotel overnight.
The study estimated that, with an average ticket price of $87.50, New Jersey would gross $175,000 on each mixed martial arts event, which the State Athletic Control Board said was accurate.
And while the total visitor spending would be slightly less than the $1.4 million UFC projects for a New York City event, Newark and East Rutherford still stand to collect a substantial portion of the sum.

New York fight fans still get to enjoy the live events, but will bring their checkbooks across the Hudson and even as far as Philadelphia, which is easily accessible through NY Penn Station.
"The City of Brotherly Love" will itself hold another UFC event when the promotion reportedly returns to Philly this August.
The ban on MMA in New York won't keep residents of "The Empire State" from enjoying MMA, but it will keep them from reaping the financial rewards.
Sounds kind of foolish, but keep in mind this is the same state that allowed the NY Giants football stadium to go to New Jersey. And in return, they'll get the NJ Nets.