Dana White’s taxing week ends with UFC 200 intact

UFC president Dana White was eating dinner Wednesday night when he received a text message that triggered what he called the worst 24 hours of his career.

He took a call less than two hours later that helped make sure his weekend would be a much better.

It all started when White got word while dining at Mandalay Bay’s StripSteak that Jon Jones had been flagged by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for a failed test and would have to be pulled out of the main event against light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier in the organization’s milestone UFC 200 card Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

The bout already was a replacement for the original main event of Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz after White pulled McGregor from the card for failing to meet promotional responsibilities.

So White was left to promote a major card full of star-studded talent and intriguing matchups several months in the making, one fight short on the main card and with no blockbuster main event to tie it all together.

Finding a replacement opponent for Daniel Cormier seemed a lofty goal. Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping quickly volunteered, but the UFC is believed to be working on matching them this year for Bisping’s middleweight title.

Gegard Mousasi lobbied hard, but he’s already on the card against Thiago Santos, and White thought it wouldn’t be fair to Santos. Plus, Mousasi against Cormier just doesn’t jump off the page.

During a hastily called news conference Wednesday night, an admittedly “shell-shocked” White still was trying to process everything. Then he saw a number pop up on his cellphone.

Anderson Silva wanted the fight and was already on his way to Las Vegas to participate in this weekend’s Fan Expo.

Silva was long considered the best fighter in the world and maybe UFC history, but he hasn’t officially won a fight since 2012. Still, his name carries a lot of value.

White was of course interested, but the process wasn’t simple. The Nevada Athletic Commission would have to approve Silva, who had to pull out of a May fight because of surgery to remove his gallbladder.

“He hadn’t done any of the medicals,” White said. “A lot of people got together and pulled this thing off. He went through all of them and passed with flying colors.

“He had to do all those tests. We got it all done in one day. That’s nuts.”

It required the assistance of the Nevada Athletic Commission. Executive director Bob Bennett said he heard a list of names of possible opponents Wednesday night, and his staff prepared for the possibility of getting the paperwork and medicals done in time to approve the fight.

Once it was clear Silva was the choice, the work centered on licensing the 41-year-old, who requires additional documentation because of his age.

Among the tests Silva underwent Thursday were drug and HIV screenings. The commission had much of his other paperwork from previous fights, which helped speed up the process.

“Do we typically approve a comprehensive fighter in two days? No,” Bennett said. “But given the fact it’s the biggest UFC event in the history of the organization, we made every effort possible to work with them and accommodate them, and I think rightfully so because they bring a great show to town. It’s great for the state, it’s great for the economy. It’s a winner for everybody.”

Bennett said it was a good exercise for his office to coordinate an effort to ensure all the documentation was in order and no corners were cut while still expediting such an endeavor.

“When you have an experienced staff such as ours, and you have the UFC, which is administratively pristine and very organized, you can make it work,” Bennett said, adding such rapid processing would not be made available in cases stemming from an organization’s sloppiness or laziness.

Everything was far enough along Thursday night for the UFC to make an official announcement, though Silva wasn’t officially licensed until Friday morning.

Around that same time, the women’s bantamweight title bout between Amanda Nunes and Miesha Tate, which will now serve as the main event, was also in jeopardy.

Tate, a Las Vegan, struggled cutting weight and almost didn’t make it in time for the new 10 a.m limit. She checked in moments before the deadline and got under the limit after shedding her clothes behind a towel. Otherwise, a new scramble could have been triggered.

Cormier, who was in tears Wednesday night minutes after learning he would be unable to fight at possibly the biggest event in the organization’s history, is OK with not being the main event. He’s just relieved to be back on the card.

“I am honored to share the octagon with one of the greatest fighters of all time,” Cormier said Friday in a statement. “This is a very tough fight for me, and I have to fight smart and to do my best in order to win this fight. Thank you Anderson for stepping up, and thanks to Dana White and the UFC for making this happen.

“Now let’s go do this.”

Whether Silva is a worthy adversary is another story, but his name value and accomplishments at least make the fight intriguing.

“I think it’s an interesting, fun fight,” White said.

Especially for one booked less than 48 hours before the event.

Contact reporter Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-224-5509. Follow him on Twitter: @adamhilllvrj