In some disturbing news, New Jersey commissioner Nick Lembo is discussing one of the scary sideffects of the ban on MMA in New York.

Without a commission, there is no sanctioning, no licensing, no way of keeping guys safe.

It’s a scary reality athletes looking to come up shouldn’t have to worry about.

Check it: (via Bloodyelbow.com)

“There have been many contestants who have been banned from regulated combative sport in New Jersey because of subdural hematoma, hepatitis C, HIV, detached retinas, and other medical concerns who have competed freely in amateur MMA and kickboxing in New York under the direct supervision of state-approved sanctioning bodies, or at shows without such direct supervision,” he says.

He can’t name these athletes—New Jersey privacy laws and federal HIPAA regulations prevent that—but according to him, dozens of them have fought and bled in New York rings and cages.