Saturday’s UFC 232 event was moved from Las Vegas to the Forum in Inglewood after the Nevada State Athletic Commission "declined to license" Jon Jones in his main event fight against Alexander Gustafsson in "light of a trace amount of a banned steroid metabolite found in his system," according to Lance Pugmire of the L.A. TIMES. The NSAC told the UFC it "needed significant time to research the latest sample Jones provided before it could clear him to fight," which led UFC President Dana White to "find another venue." California State Athletic Commission Exec Officer Andy Foster acknowledged that the decision to allow UFC 232 to be held at the Forum "looks like venue shopping, and that he and White 'have a mutual interest.'" However, he added, "Operating in the best interest of the sport is what matters to me" (L.A. TIMES, 12/24).
NOT ENOUGH TIME: White said the NSAC "does not have the time to see us and go through a hearing to find out what California already knows." He noted the CSAC has "already dealt" with Jones in the past. White: "They have all of the history with him, they have all of the facts, they know everything. Nevada doesn't. I believe he can get licensed in Nevada but there is not enough time to do it before Saturday." Meanwhile, White said of how fans will be reimbursed, "What we're going to do is give a full refund for everybody who bought tickets and we're going to do our best. Different venues with different setups but for the people that want to go to L.A., we'll give them preferential tickets" ("SportsCenter," ESPN 12/23). UFC VP/Athlete Health & Performance Jeff Novitzky said that Jones' positive test is "not a violation" (MMAJUNKIE.com, 12/23).
FEELING THE IMPACT: White said that he was guaranteed a $6M gate at T-Mobile Arena, but "isn’t sure" if he can get $1M in ticket sales at The Forum. He also said that he "doesn’t know the impact of the news on the pay-per-view," but added it "doesn’t matter how much money the company loses" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 12/23). In Las Vegas, Adam Hill noted losing the card "could have an economic impact on Las Vegas tourism and gaming dollars during the weekend before New Year’s Eve celebrations across the valley." Saturday will "mark the first time the UFC will not host a New Year’s weekend card in Las Vegas" since the end of '05. MGM Resorts sports books will "refund any wagers that were made." House rules state that if the "event site changes, all bets placed at the first site will have no action and will be refunded" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 12/24).
ALL IN ON JONES: SI.com's Matt Dollinger wrote rather than "risk losing the biggest star on its pay-per-view card, the UFC decided to move its entire circus 270 miles west and deal with the logistical nightmares that now follow." Rather than "risk losing Jones (again) to a drug-related issue (fair or not, that’s a separate debate), the UFC is forcing 25 other fighters and thousands of fans to change their plans and relocate to L.A." so Jones' return "wouldn’t be further delayed." In terms of "keeping the card relevant, you can’t blame White and the UFC." While Cris Cyborg-Amanda Nunes is a "compelling co-main event, it’s not the same as a headliner, and the loss of Jones would have been crippling to the marquee" (SI.com, 12/23). ESPN.com's Brett Okamoto wrote the UFC's decision was an "unprecedented move" (ESPN.com, 12/23).
