(JULY 8) Yesterday, on July 7th, WBAN received an email from Dyana Ornalez’s manager, Butch Gottlieb, in regards to her two-days-before-the-fight cancellation for tonight’s fight in Monterey, California. Ornalez pulled out of the fight at 4:00 p.m., on July 6th. WBAN followed up on that email with Ornalez.

This morning, WBAN contacted Ornalez by phone, and she said that she could not make it to the fight because she started a new job, and that she had to work the day of the weigh-in, and that she was not able to get the time off. Ornalez said that she was not working today. (According to Gottlieb, the promoter offered to change the airline tickets so that she could get to Monterey today.)

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Ornalez said that she had intentions of fighting Jenny Houts, but that she did not have a signed contract.

In Gottlieb's email, he said that this is the second fight that Ornalez has cancelled out on.

I asked Ornalez about the first time she cancelled out on a bout.  Ornalez stated that she did cancel out on a previous bout, that was to take place in Irvine, California,  against Liz Medal, and that it was with a signed contract. But,  in that incident, she had suffered an injury and gave a month’s notice that she could not fight due to an injury.

I asked Ornalez how she thought that her opponent, Jenny Houts, may be feeling about not having an opponent after taking the fight and flying down to Monterey from Portland, Oregon to fight her, going to the weigh-in, and standing around the weigh-in,  with no one now to fight.  Ornalez said, “That has happened to me plenty of times.”

I asked Ornalez if understood the impact of taking fights and then canceling out at the last minute--and costing the promoter expenses, i.e., airline tickets, hotel, of the other fighter, etc. Ornalez said that she has already been told that about 10 times.

I asked Ornalez if she had anything in addition to say, Ornalez said, “I am sorry to Jenny, I had intentions of going.”

I re-contacted Gottlieb, and asked him about the contract.

Gottlieb said, "Ornalez did say through an e-mail that she did not have a signed contract for this fight. When the promoter sent her contract, I, who am Ornalez's manager, signed the contract, as is allowed in California, and faxed it to Ornalez to sign and fax back to the promoter. She had told me that she had faxed the contract back to the promoter and the subject had never come up again."

Gottlieb added, "It was my mistake for not making sure that the contract was in fact signed and returned to the promoter but I took it for granted that Ornalez was a professional and an above board person and accepted her word that it was in fact done."