With the heavyweight title main event for UFC 196 being canceled, next week’s fight card coming from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas will no longer be on pay-per-view and the new main event will be Johny Hendricks vs. Stephen Thompson.
UFC President Dana White confirmed the changes to Kevin Iole of Yahoo! Sports on Tuesday afternoon and stated that the main card will now air on FS1.
With the main event being changed, the promotion will be required to offer ticket refunds per Nevada Athletic Commission Regulations.
NAC 467.255 Change or substitution involving main event: Notice by promoter; refund of price of ticket; approval of substitution. (NRS 467.030)
1. The promoter of a program of unarmed combat shall, if possible:
(a) Notify the Commission and the news media of any change or substitution involving a contest or exhibition that was announced or advertised as the main event of the program; and
(b) Provide such notice at least 24 hours before the first contest or exhibition of the program.
Ê The promoter shall also conspicuously post the change or substitution at the box office of the premises where the program is to be held and cause the change or substitution to be announced from the ring or, if the program is being held in a fenced area, from the fenced area, before the first contest or exhibition of the program.
2. If such a change or substitution occurs and any patron desires to have the price of his or her ticket refunded, the promoter must refund the patron’s money if the patron presents the ticket or the ticket stub at the box office before the opening contest or exhibition of the program is scheduled to begin. The box office must remain open a reasonable length of time to redeem such tickets.3. An unarmed combatant may not substitute for another unarmed combatant in a contest or exhibition that is the main event of a program of unarmed combat unless:
(a) The promoter notifies the Commission before the unarmed combatant weighs in for the contest or exhibition; and
(b) The Commission or the Commission’s representative approves the substitution.
[Athletic Comm’n, §§ 96-98, eff. 4-25-78]—(NAC A 12-13-82; 11-2-88; 12-2-97; R070-01, 8-31-2001; R076-03, 12-3-2003)
With the already scheduled welterweight bout between Hendricks and Thompson being elevated to the main event, the new co-main event of the fight card will be Roy Nelson vs. Jared Rosholt and the current UFC 196: Hendricks vs. Thompson fight card lineup is below.
Main Card: (FS1 – 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT)
Johny Hendricks (17-3) vs. Stephen Thompson (11-1)
Roy Nelson (21-12) vs. Jared Rosholt (14-2)
Ovince Saint Preux (18-7) vs. Rafael Cavalcante (12-6, 1NC)
Joseph Benavidez (23-4) vs. Zach Makovsky (19-6)
Preliminary Card: (FS1 – 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT)
Josh Burkman (28-12, 1NC) vs. KJ Noons (12-7, 1NC)
Derrick Lewis (13-4, 1NC) vs. Damian Grabowski (20-2)
Mike Pyle (26-11-1) vs. Sean Spencer (12-4)
Misha Cirkunov (10-2) vs. Alex Nicholson (6-1)
Preliminary Card: (UFC Fight Pass – 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m PT)
Mickey Gall (1-0) vs. Mike Jackson (11-10)
Artem Lobov (12-11, 1NC) vs. Alex White (10-2)
Ray Borg (9-1) vs. Justin Scoggins (10-2)
Noad Lahat (9-1) vs. Diego Rivas (6-0)