BREAKING | UFC cancels UFC 233, adjusts PPV schedule

After weeks of struggling to find a suitable main event for UFC 233, which is scheduled for January 26 in Anaheim, California, the UFC has cancelled the card outright. This news was first reported by Brett Okamoto on Twitter.

Breaking: UFC is rearranging its pay-per-view schedule. UFC 233 will no longer take place on Jan. 26 in Anaheim, due to a combination of factors. That PPV will change to another date, so 2019 will still feature the same amount of PPVs as originally planned. More info coming.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 12, 2018

“UFC is rearranging its pay-per-view schedule,” Okamoto wrote in his first Tweet on the subject. “UFC 233 will no longer take place on Jan. 26 in Anaheim, due to a combination of factors. That PPV will change to another date, so 2019 will still feature the same amount of PPVs as originally planned. More info coming.”

It's no secret, a big reason UFC 233 thinned out is the UFC is stacking its first ESPN+ card on Jan. 19. Good news if you're a consumer, right? Get a deep card for less money one week early, and you don't have to pick between UFC and Bellator on Jan. 26.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) December 12, 2018

“It’s no secret, a big reason UFC 233 thinned out is the UFC is stacking its first ESPN+ card on Jan. 19,” he added in a second Tweet. “Good news if you’re a consumer, right? Get a deep card for less money one week early, and you don’t have to pick between UFC and Bellator on Jan. 26.”

As Okamoto points out, Bellator is also promoting a major card on January 26 in Bellator 214. The card was scheduled to occur just a short distance away from UFC 233 in Inglewood, California.

UFC 233 was originally expected to be headlined by a flyweight title fight between champ Henry Cejudo and slimmed-down bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw. In an effort to stack the debut UFC on ESPN+ card, however, the promotion reallocated this title fight.

Before canceling UFC 233, it was widely reported that the UFC was considering a number of welterweight bouts involving Tyron Woodley, Kamaru Usman, Colby Covington and Ben Askren for the main event. Evidently, however, they were not able to make any of these fights happen.

The fights that were scheduled for UFC 233 will reportedly be moved to other cards. It’s unknown yet if the promotion still plans to visit Anaheim in 2019.

According to a report from MMAjunkie, the UFC’s PPV numbering system will remain the same. In other words, UFC 234 in Melbourne will still be called UFC 234, despite the cancellation of this UFC 233 card.

Stay tuned for further updates as they emerge.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 12/12/2018.