MMA News Roundup: UFC San Antonio faces fight cancelation, Jamie Pickett no longer appealing Bo Nickal loss, Joe Rogan blames LA district attorney for people leaving state

Welcome to today's (March 25) edition of Sportskeeda's daily MMA News Roundup, where we present the biggest UFC updates and other stories from the world of mixed martial arts.

In today's issue, we discuss this weekend's UFC San Antonio card facing a fight cancelation, middleweight Jamie Pickett decides against appealing his loss to Bo Nickal, and Joe Rogan gives his two cents on why people are leaving California.

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#3. UFC San Antonio forced into fight cancelation after a fighter falls ill

UFC San Antonio has been subject to a running theme throughout UFC events so far this year as a fighter was forced off the card due to medical issues.

MMA Fighting reported that the women's bantamweight clash between Hailey Cowan and Tamires Vidal had been canceled. Vidal was forced to withdraw from the event on advice from her doctor.

The cancelation means that Cowan must wait to make her main-roster debut. She earned herself a UFC contract after a split-decision victory over Claudia Leite in Dana White's Contender Series last August.

For Tamires Vidal, the injury is likely frustrating her more than most as she was looking to continue her fine run of form. She last stepped into the octagon in November 2022, earning a first-round TKO win over Ramona Pascual.

Vidal shared her frustration with a post on Instagram:

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#2. Jamie Pickett decides against submitting appeal for Bo Nickal loss

At UFC 285, UFC prospect Bo Nickal lived up to the hype as he submitted Jamie Pickett in the first round.

The bout was later shrouded in controversy as replays showed that the strike Nickal landed prior to his takedown was well below the belt. The takedown then led to an arm-triangle choke that secured the victory.

Following the result, Pickett's manager, LaMont Chappell, stated that they would be appealing against the result to the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). Chappell and Pickett both argued that Nickal's victory came entirely from the illegal strike.

However, Jamie Pickett and his management have decided against filing a claim. Speaking to MMA Junkie, LaMont Chappell stated that they had been made aware that they had no grounds for appeal by NSAC executive director Jeff Mullen.

Discussing the disappointing result, LaMont hoped that their experience would open up the conversation for the laws to be changed:

“While disappointed with the rules that govern appeals, I still remain hopeful that cases like ours will continue to shape future conversations regarding judging and officiating that are called into question. After speaking to a representative of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, we as a combat sports community should be more diligent in pushing for the tough conversations to better advocate for our fighters.”

Catch Jamie Pickett's initial reaction to the controversy here (1:30):

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#1. Joe Rogan calls LA district attorney a "monster" whilst discussing why people are leaving California

Earlier this week, Joe Rogan welcomed welterweight star Jorge Masvidal onto his podcast. Whilst on the show, the pair discussed his UFC return as well as the problems that California is facing.

'Gamebred' is returning to the octagon to face Gilbert Burns in UFC 287's co-main event. The bout is Masvidal's first in over a year, following his infamous arrest for allegedly attacking Colby Covington last March. Issues with the police aren't the only problem Masvidal is facing either, as he is currently on a three-fight skid and 'Durinho' is considered a seriously tough test for his return bout.

The pair eventually moved onto the topic of California and Los Angeles, as Rogan previously lived in LA before moving to Austin, Texas in 2020.

The UFC color commentator suggested that the reason he left the state was due to taxes, but later listed what he believes is the cause of more and more people leaving the state:

"It's just not the same place... COVID killed that place. COVID and the governor, the governor and the mayor, they just f***ed that place to death... Crime goes up, they let people out of jail, crime continues to go up. It's a mess. You've got that district attorney in LA, he's a monster."

Jorge Masivdal said that he had been to California recently and compared the state to a scene from the 2009 American post-apocalyptic zombie comedy film 'Zombieland':

"It's very scary. ... I was like there like eight weeks ago. It's a different zombieland now."

Catch a clip from the show here: