(When this charming bastard speaks to a group of women, that sound you hear after he’s done ain’t nothing but panties dropping.)

Our old friend Bob Reilly is back in the MMA news.  This time it isn’t just for his completely nonsensical reasoning for opposing MMA regulation in New York State, but because of untruths he’s been telling about union campaign contributions.  MMA Payout picked up on Reilly’s assertion in this USA Today story that he doesn’t know, nor did he ever receive campaign contributions from UNITE HERE, the union that’s beefing with the Fertitta-owned Station Casinos in Las Vegas and which may be partially behind the attempt to block the UFC in New York.  Trouble is, there are at least $5,500 in documented campaign contributions from UNITE HERE to Reilly.

What’s really clever is the way Reilly words his disavowal of any union money shenanigans:

“I’m a very strong union supporter. I don’t know UNITE HERE, and the people in Vegas certainly haven’t come here and given me campaign contributions. It tells me here’s a tactic of ultimate fighting which tells you how they operate.”

Technically, the contributions came from the national headquarters of UNITE HERE in New York, though as MMA Payout points out, the Vegas branch draws a lot of water and is the dominant force in the union, making Reilly’s statement “intellectually dishonest.”  It’s kind of like telling your girlfriend that you did not sleep with her best friend that night she was out of town, and then claiming it wasn’t a lie since the two of you never actually slept.

Should we be surprised that Reilly might be a liar? This is the guy who habitually compares MMA to dog-fighting and domestic violence, and yet somehow doesn’t feel that there’s anything wrong the hundreds of pro boxing, football, hockey, and pro wrestling events that go on in New York each year.  He’s the guy whose moral stance against violence seems completely limited to the particular brand of violence found in MMA, and nothing else.  His entire opposition to regulating MMA in New York is based on an intellectually dishonest argument.  

So no, we should not be surprised.  Pissed off?  Yeah, definitely.  But not surprised.