After failing to find a main event for January’s pay-per-view, UFC 233, has been scrapped and will be made up at a later date.
The promotion published an official press release regarding the cancellation of UFC 233, which was scheduled for January 26, earlier today.
The top fights on the card were Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler, and Dominick Cruz (pre-injury) vs. John Lineker. Neither of those fights feature a title, and that is what the promotion deems necessary when booking. Welterweight champion Tyron Woodley is currently nursing an injury, and was unavailable, which led to several rants from Dana White.
Of the 10 bouts slated for the non-existent card, four have been officially rescheduled:
- Joseph Benavidez vs. Deiveson Figueiredo has been moved up a week earlier to January 16 according to ESPN.
- Yana Kunitskaya vs. Marion Reneau has been pushed to March 9 according to MMA Junkie.
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Cortney Casey has been moved to February 17 according to ESPN.
- Anthony Hernandez vs. Markus Perez will now take place a week later on February 2 according to MMA Junkie.
The following fights remain in limbo:
- Ben Askren vs. Robbie Lawler
- Paul Felder vs. James Vick
- Alexandra Albu vs. Emily Whitmire
- Alex Caceres vs. Kron Gracie
- John Lineker vs. TBA
- Francisco Trinaldo vs. TBA
This event becomes the third pay-per-view card in promotional history to be canceled, joining UFC 151, and UFC 176. However, those occurred after injuries to the main event. This time, there never was a proper headliner. There will still be 12 pay-per-view events next year, so expect a two-ppv month to be announced soon.
It also seems that Tyron Woodley will fight soon, but not against interim champion Colby Covington. There is a bout agreement that has been signed by Kamaru Usman that would pit him against the champion rather than the one who “should” have the next shot.
