Earlier this year, New York lifted a nineteen-year long ban on mixed martial arts in the state, which paved the way for Dana White to host UFC 205 at Madison Square Garden in November.
Seeing as it's a huge deal for the sport, it goes without saying that it would be in their best interest to have some of the biggest names in MMA to headline the event. Many believed Ronda Rousey would make her long-awaited return for a title fight, for example, and that Jose Aldo might get another shot at Conor McGregor.
However, it looks like neither of those things are going to happen. Following his victory against Nate Diaz at UFC 202, McGregor could be out for up to six months with injuries, making February 2017 the earliest he can fight unless he's cleared by an orthopedic doctor between now and then. As for Rousey, White went on UFC Unfiltered this week and said that she is won't be on the card for UFC 205 despite Cris Cyborg’s lengthy request.
"[Rousey is] definitely not fighting in New York," said White. "I'm actually going to start building the New York card this week."
The good news? For about the millionth time since she suffered the only loss of her UFC career to Holly Holm, White also said that Rousey does intend on fighting again and that we could see her in the Octagon before the year comes to a close. If that's true, it'll be at UFC 206 or UFC 207 in December because they’re the only other events scheduled before the new year.