Insurance and liability issues continue to create havoc for the city of Vancouver, British Columbia and it appears that a planned UFC event in June will no longer take place in the city. The Canadian Press reported earlier today that UFC 115, tentatively set for June 12th in Vancouver, is likely off and will be moved to Cincinnati, Ohio.

Vancouver City Council passed a two-year trial period last December, but maintained concerns over liability issues in the event of an injury. As a result, it now appears that MMA’s return to Vancouver will be delayed.

As reported earlier this month, necessary regulations that are required for mixed martial arts events to take place in Vancouver have yet to be put in place. It was thought that the process could take until the end of May to be completed, but may now require even more time as officials debate the issue of legal liability in the event that a mixed martial artist were to suffer injury in competition.

UFC President Dana White has not commented on the ongoing proceedings, but Vancouver city councillor Kerry Jang stated that he believes that the planned June event will be moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. However, the city has not yet confirmed the cancellation of UFC 115 in Vancouver. Insurance and liability issues remain unresolved among officials and the city is reportedly requesting insurance premiums from potential MMA promoters that are said to be “gigantic.”

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has already held two events in Montréal, Québec, Canada and will return to the city in early May. Efforts to get the sport of MMA legalised in the province of Ontario are ongoing and have also met with setbacks. The potential loss of UFC 115 in Vancouver also means the loss of significant revenue dollars for the city, but that has not been enough to sway city officials on the issues that remain.

Further developments will follow in the coming weeks, but it appears that the promotion will cut its losses and make a return to Cincinnati in the interim. There has been no word on whether the tentative June 12th date will be retained should the event be moved. Former UFC Middleweight Champion Rich “Ace” Franklin, who lives just north of Cincinnati, will likely compete on the card if it is moved to Ohio.