The UFC’s  ‘legalization of MMA’ event took place on January 27 in New York and is now reportedly receiving some bad press.

According to a report from the ‘New York Post‘ a notorious sex offender named Michael Boxley, who works for the lobbying firm, was in attendance at last Monday’s event.

Michael Boxley became a famous name in New York in 2003, when he was accused of rape and accepted a plea deal that left him as a registered sex offender.

Boxley was working as a top aide to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, when the accusations of raping a legislative aide first became public.

In the plea deal process, Boxley admitted to having non-consensual sex with the 22 year old victim.

The New York Post reported that many in attendance noticed the sex offender:

“It couldn’t get any worse from a p.r. standpoint,” said one attendee at the UFC reception. “You don’t want someone convicted of a sex crime at your event. Who’s appearing next, Vito Lopez?”

Lopez, a former Brooklyn assemblyman, resigned last year after claims were made that he had sexually harassed female staffers.

Assembly woman, Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), who proclaims the sport “glorifies violence against women,” agreed that the promoters screwed up by allowing Boxley to attend the event.

“I don’t think it helps their case,” she said.

The UFC stressed to the Post that Mr. Boxley attended as a guest, not as a paid lobbyist, and added that Boxley has never lobbied for the UFC.

Still, this is the last thing the UFC needed in what has already been a hard battle regarding getting MMA in to New York.

By Chris Taylor