In a letter sent to several MMA companies including UFC and StrikeForce and several professional wrestling companies including WWE and TNA Wrestling, The Oklahoma State Athletic Commissions noted that they will not be accepting appliciations for professional wrestling, mixed martial arts or boxing events to be held in the state after March 31st.
The decision was apparently made by the State Athletic Commision due to a lack of funding, however UFC’s current lawsuit involving the pay-per-view tax in the State has been ongoing since 2004 and costs UFC around $80,000 a year, which could possibly be repealed by the Oklahoma legislature. The State Commission are claiming that without the tax they can’t maintain the overhead needed as an authority as the tax accounts for two-thirds of their budget.
Meanwhile, Kevin Kellam of the Pro Wrestling Examiner spoke with Joe Miller the director of the OSAC about the suspension of Wrestling, MMA and Boxing events in the State and clarifies the situation and WWE’s status on the situation, as the company have a live broadcast of RAW scheduled for October 1st.