Rick Roufus will not be facing Ultimate Fighting Championship and Pride veteran Mark Kerr at this weekend’s World Cagefighting Organization/Valor Fighting event in San Diego according to the executive director of the California State Athletic Commission, Armando Garcia.
“Rick Roufus has met all of his licensing requirements. However, these were not done in time to set up a skills evaluation for him,” said Garcia.
“Obviously, we know of his striking abilities. We, however, don't know of his exact level of other skills. This is a must to know prior to approval. We are in the process of setting this up for a future fight date.”
The skills evaluation is necessary because this would have been Roufus’ first professional mixed martial arts bout said Garcia. His striking skills are not in question due to his lengthy history as a world champion in kickboxing. But with Kerr’s vast amount of experience in MMA, the evaluation would be necessary to determine if Roufus would or would not be skilled enough to compete with Kerr.
Garcia also confirmed to MMAWeekly.com that a new opponent has been proposed for Kerr.
“Kauai Kupihea has been presented as his replacement and has been tentatively approved. However, he has not completed his licensing requirements.”
The event, dubbed “The Return,” features a main event of Renato “Babalu” Sobral against Vernon “Tiger” White. It is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 12 at the San Diego Sports Arena.
