Ariel Helwani · @arielhelwani
21st Apr 2012 from Twitlonger
Here's one angle that is important to note regarding Overeem: if he is denied a license on Tuesday, that could affect his entire 2012. However, he can ask the NSAC to withdraw his license application. The NSAC can grant his request or not -- it's up to them. If they do so, he can start from square one and potentially avoid any kind of punishment or layoff, if he is guilty of what he is being accused of, when applying for a license elsewhere. That could be the reason for the timing of this change. That's pretty much the only explanation I can think of without talking to anyone from Overeem's camp or anyone from the UFC on the record. As of now, he's still on Tuesday's agenda. And speaking of Tuesday, that's when the UFC Rio presser is supposed to happen. What an interesting day that will be (although it got a little less interesting with tonight's announcement).