A federal judge denied the UFC's request for a preliminary injunction that would've temporarily stopped New York's attorney general from enacting the state's anti-MMA law.
Federal Judge Kimba Wood denied the motion Monday, after the UFC submitted its request last September.
If Wood ruled in favor of the UFC, the prospect of an April 23 event at New York's iconic Madison Square Garden would've remained alive.
UFC 198 is tentatively scheduled to take place at the venue, but it will be need to be altered as a result of Wood's decision.
The UFC asked Wood for a decision by Jan. 25 so it would have enough time to develop a contingency plan. For the foreeseable future, the UFC will be held out of the nation's largest media market.
- With h/t to FIGHTLAND