Utah has not been a hospitable state to MMA: a UFC card earlier in the year was reportedly canceled due to low ticket sales. On Saturday, a regional card in Saint George was reportedly canceled when the ring failed to arrive on time. This was never an issue for Kimbo Slice, but for the majority of fighters, it’s a problem.
Incompetence in MMA is nothing new, especially when it comes to tangible production details: King of the Cage once allowed fighters to compete in an outdoor cage under heavy rainfall, risking ACLs, then gleefully marketed the DVD as “Wet ‘n Wild”; slick sponsor decals have had fighters complaining about footing. This is the first time I can recall a ring environment not simply being defective, but completely absent.
The event’s promoters, the Red Rock Rumble, have asserted they’ll run a show in the spring -- small consolation to fighters who trained, dieted, and went through the emotional anxiety of preparing for a fight.