The mixed martial arts promoter for this Saturday’s event at Rogers Arena will not pick up the tab for extra policing outside the venue, according to Mayor Gregor Robertson.

The mayor, who is also chairperson of the Vancouver Police Board, said the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) company refused Police Chief Jim Chu’s request to pay for policing costs.

“The chief and I have discussed it and he reached out to UFC to ask them to contribute to the costs associated with hosting the event on the security side,” Robertson told the Courier. “They don’t do that in any other community, so they’ve stuck to their guns on not contributing to the local community’s policing efforts and asking for the weight of evidence that there’s any difference from another large scale event that we might host.”

Chu told the Courier in April that he was working on a plan to have the Las Vegas-based fight promotion company pay for extra police outside Rogers Arena. At the time, the chief said, he wanted extra patrols in the neighbourhoods outside the venue “to prevent what might occur in terms of neighbourhood problems.”

The chief’s request was based on concerns raised by neighbourhood groups who complained about rowdy drunks and public urination in their community before and after the June 12, 2010 UFC event.

That night, a gay couple returning to their Tinseltown townhouse at about 10:45 p.m. were beaten by two men. The VPD arrested two brothers in Richmond in connection with the attack.

Police are treating the case as a hate crime after the victims, David Holtzman and Peter Regier, said the attackers yelled homophobic slurs at them during the beating. Police have not linked the beating to the UFC event, although Holtzman said in an interview a few days after the incident that he believed his attackers attended the fights at Rogers Arena.

The trial of brothers Parminder and Ravinder Bassi, who are facing assault charges, is scheduled to begin in November. Holtzman and Regier said they were treated for cuts, bruises and suffered from concussions.

The Courier left messages with UFC Canada regarding Saturday’s event but no one returned calls before deadline. The UFC was expected to hold a press conference Thursday in Vancouver about the event.

Unlike last year’s UFC event, which sold out almost immediately, tickets are still available for Saturday’s night of fights. The Stanley Cup Finals and the recent news that UFC superstar Brock Lesnar will not fight have likely affected ticket sales.

The mayor told the Courier last week the Vancouver Canucks playoff run could leave taxpayers with a $1-million tab for policing costs and expenses related to setting up two so-called fan zones for the Stanley Cup finals.

The mayor said $500,000 was budgeted to set up "fan zones" in the 700-block Granville Street and another in the 700-block Hamilton Street, outside the CBC building, to watch the Canucks battle the Boston Bruins.

The $500,000 is an addition to the $648,721 estimated by the VPD to police all four rounds of the playoffs. The estimate was based on all rounds going seven games, which only occurred in the first series against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The city announced June 5 that viewing screens moved to Georgia Street to replace the Granville location, which was proving too small for the thousands of fans assembling to watch the games outdoors. Another screen is set up at Homer and Georgia streets. The city hasn’t indicated costs associated with the new locations.

The VPD, meanwhile, will have officers working inside Rogers Arena for Game Five Friday at Rogers Arena. The Canucks owners pick up that tab but pay no additional costs for policing outside the arena.

Police say they will release the costs for the entire playoff run after the Stanley Cup Finals are over. The mayor has predicted a Canucks victory in five games, which means Friday.

mhowell@vancourier.com

Twitter: @Howellings