UFC Vice President David Shaw confirmed Saturday that the UFC Apex will continue to be utilized despite the promotion’s plans for more road shows in 2025.
Shaw was filling in for UFC President Dana White at the UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference and spoke about the UFC’s plans to hit the road more in this upcoming year, but also maintained that the UFC Apex will continue to be a home for fights.
“There’ll be an increased number of events outside of the Apex relative to this year as we get into the 2025 schedule,” Shaw said (H/T Cageside Press).
David Shaw speaks on plans for the UFC Apex and explains its value to the company
“It’s tough for us to anticipate what two or three years down the road is going to look like,” Shaw continued. “But it (continuing to use the UFC Apex) makes a lot of sense for a lot of reasons. There’s a lot of fighters in Vegas, it’s easy for us operationally, it’s obviously simple from a budgetary perspective.”
“The rigor and the pressure and how laborious it can be to be on the road, I mean you guys know it, you’re week in and week out with us and other promotions. It’s tough,” he explained. “So I think having home games and being in the Apex where you can just turn off the lights and lock the door, it makes a lot of sense for us. Will we ever get back to pre-COVID of no Apex, I don’t think so. But I think we’re going to find the right balance for us.”
Fights at the UFC Apex saved the UFC during the COVID years, but fans have grown pretty tired of the tiny arena and almost nonexistent crowd. Fighters also seem to prefer fighting in packed arenas, as evidenced by their reactions to the electrifying crowd at UFC Edmonton. The Edmonton card also broke a record, becoming the highest-grossing Fight Night event in North American history at $2.6 million U.S.