Less than a week before UFC 232, Dana White and the organization abruptly announced the show’s location would be shifted from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in an unprecedented move due to a licensing issue with light heavyweight contender Jon Jones.
The move from T-Mobile Arena to The Forum on Saturday night caught many off guard, including the show’s co-headliner Cris “Cyborg” Justino. In her latest vlog, Cyborg discussed frustrations with the UFC over not communicating to the fighters that the show would be moved before they alerted the media.
“This is crazy,” Cyborg said. “They’re supposed to contact everybody. We’re partners. We’re partners. We can’t partner together … and they don’t contact you before. But I was in touch with my manager and he didn’t know, too. He was buying gifts for his family. Nobody knows. Just really don’t like. How can you call media and not call your fighters? For you to prepare yourself before and handle things before. How long do they know this?”
The show’s relocation comes after Jones had a drug test come back with a trace amount of the same metabolite that resulted in a 15-month suspension from his 2017 bout against Daniel Cormier in California. USADA does not consider this a positive test, because it’s been ruled to have been a result of the original failed test in 2017. Apparently the process following such a flagged test to get a license from the Nevada State Athletic Commission won’t be able to be completed in time for the fight. Because the original test was for a fight in California, the California State Athletic Commission will, however, license Jones because they are already aware of the details of the first test, thus the move.
This is the first time an event has been moved this close to fight night over a fighter’s licensing issues.
(Via MMA Fighting)
