Ratner still ‘bullish’ on Vancouver show
The UFC may be headed to Vancouver in June after all. One day after an informed source said the show…
The UFC may be headed to Vancouver in June after all.
One day after an informed source said the show could end up in Cincinnati instead, the UFC’s vice-president of regulatory affairs said negotiations continue to stage UFC 115 at GM Place on June 12.
“The demise of the fight has been greatly exaggerated,” Marc Ratner told The Canadian Press from Las Vegas on Tuesday. “And we are still working on it.
“We’re working with the mayor, with the city council, trying to come to an agreement and I still feel strongly, as I’ve been saying over and over again, I’m still bullish on June 12 as the date.”
That’s encouraging news to Vancouver officials like Coun. Kerry Jang, who was caught by surprise by reports Monday that the show was on rocky ground.
“We didn’t hear anything directly (from the UFC),” he said. “My phone lit up and I went ‘What the heck?”‘
Jang says the sticking point for the show is between the city and insurers and the province, not the UFC.
“Absolutely,” said Jang. “That’s why we were just dumbfounded when all this stuff started to come out in the media about it being cancelled and UFC was this (and that). It’s really not (the) UFC. We’ve been working with them closely for three months now to work out these issues.”
In fact, Jang says the UFC has been “really helpful” in trying to remove obstacles to the show.
While no one is saying so publicly, it appears the city got a nudge from the mixed martial arts juggernaut Monday.
Sort out the small print or we will go elsewhere.
Ratner said the UFC is helping with the issue of indemnity and insurance.
“We’re working on both of those things. I’m just very confident. Whenever that day is, whether it’s today or tomorrow, we’re going to get this done.”
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Payout Note:
A meeting is being held tonight between UFC VP of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner and the Vancouver city council regarding UFC 115. The fate of UFC 115 may be determined after tonight’s meeting.
Payout Perspective:
Ratner is ultimately the best source of information, because he’s the man in charge of regulation at the UFC – he’s the one knocking down barriers for the sport and the company. However, he’s been reluctant to comment on the Vancouver issue recently and that’s more or less the standard operating procedure of Zuffa as a whole. It’s not surprising that he hasn’t said we are or we aren’t having problems.
If the issue had been totally resolved, it’s likely the UFC would have announced the event already.
Most sources close to the situation are willing to admit there is a bit of a hang up, and people that said the UFC was a no-go in Vancouver seemed to have gotten part of the story right as they did inquire about Cincinnati. The newest word on the block is now saying there’s been an emergency closed door meeting called this evening to discuss the matter – tonight (or at least this week) is apparently make or break for the June date.