UFC on Versus 2 Moved from Salt Lake City to San Diego Due to Weak Ticket Sales

UFC on Versus 2 will find a new home on Aug. 1 at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, Calif., after the promotion announced on Monday that it had moved the event from the EnergySolutions Arena in Salt Lake City.

Heavy.com initially reported the venue change prior to the promotion’s announcement, which also re-named the event UFC “Live.”

The event, which is anchored by a light heavyweight headliner between rising star Jon Jones and seasoned veteran Vladimir Matyushenko, is scheduled to take place on a Sunday evening.

The promotion said the move from Utah to the Golden State was based on underwhelming ticket sales.

“Our television ratings in Salt Lake City have always been strong, and when we finally found the opportunity to bring a UFC event there with a great card, I was very surprised and disappointed in ticket sales. As a result, for the first time in UFC history, I decided to pull the plug and move this August 1st event to the San Diego Sports Arena,” said UFC President Dana White in a press release.

The 22-year-old Jones stopped Brandon Vera with first-round punches and elbows at UFC on Versus 1 last March in Broomfield, Colo. Jones’ sole career defeat came during a controversial disqualification to Matt Hamill at “The Ultimate Fighter 10” Finale last December.

Matyushenko has won 11 of his last 12 fights and earned a split decision over Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Eliot Marshall in March. The 39-year-old Belarusian has only been finished twice in 28 professional bouts and holds notable victories against Pedro Rizzo and the world-ranked Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Matyushenko was a national wrestling champion in the Soviet Union and his native Belarus.

In the co-main event, middleweight contender Yushin Okami will square off with two-time All-American wrestler Mark Munoz.

UFC “Live” airs live on Versus at 9:00 p.m. EST.