Dana White confirms plans to ‘Phase out’ events at the UFC Apex amid criticizm: ‘We’re getting it done’
After a thrilling UFC fight night in St. Louis, Dana White is teeming about potentially getting back to the UFC’s pre-pandemic ways of traveling the globe for (nearly) every card.
The night of fights at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis was truly electric. The fights featured many hometown heroes, and the crowd was deafening as it seemingly roared all night long. Many said the atmosphere was as captivating as those in the crowds of PPV events, and it also helped that the fights themselves did not disappoint.
Derrick Lewis returned to his winning ways and ended the night strong by knocking out Rodrigo Nascimento early into the third round. The co-main featured Joaquin Buckley victorious in fighting Nursulton Ruziboev in front of a hometown crowd, and both fans and fighters brought the intensity. It was a great night of fights, and it’s got UFC president Dana White very excited about the prospect of getting the UFC back on the road.
Of course, the UFC Apex is the organization’s private arena of sorts. It has served the UFC well but has grown stale in the face of critics. The UFC Apex doesn’t really feature much of a crowd, and despite the amount of money it can save the company, it is often labeled as boring compared to legitimate arenas.
Dana White wants to move away from the UFC Apex and take the UFC Around the globe
The atmosphere at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis was definitely anything but boring, and it also was very profitable. According to Dana White, the fight night in St. Louis was the highest gate ever for a UFC Fight Night, generating $2.47 million with almost 16 thousand fans present.
“Even if you’re watching on ESPN, I mean, everybody — I’m sure you guys were getting text too. They’re like, ‘Jesus Christ. It’s like a pay-per-view there right now.’” Dana White said at the post-fight press conference.
“And this is,” he continued. “When you think about how we built this business, it was taking it out of the big markets. When we first got into the fight business, everybody just went to Vegas, Atlantic City, sometimes New York, sometimes LA. That’s the only place that really had fights unless you had a local kid.”
“We built this business, taking this thing to every city all over the world,” Dana White said proudly. “And as we start to get our s— together, I will call it, and start to move out and start to go to these different cities like we used to, the whole sport just goes to another level.”
When asked if this meant the UFC Apex would no longer be the main host of UFC events, White replied in the affirmative. “It’s what I’ve been saying for a long time,” he said. We gotta get out of the Apex and start doing more events in all these different cities, and we’re starting to do it. We’re getting it done this year.”
Where would you like to see the UFC travel to next?
