White: UFC APEX Will Start Hosting Events Next Month

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

With the news that Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is looking for a return to action on May 9, company president Dana White recently dropped another juicy nugget. In an email sent to Variety, White stated that UFC’s APEX Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada will be home to several future events for the promotion while the COVID-19 pandemic is still going.

And it could start as early as next month.

“We built the APEX facility next door just in time to save the day from this pandemic,” White said. “Live fights will be produced out of there starting next month and for the foreseeable future.”

The promotion opened the state-of-the-art facility last year, which has its own mini arena, home of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). White initially planned to move UFC Portland and UFC Columbus to the APEX after cities starting cracking down on fans attending sporting events due to the coronavirus, but the state of Nevada revoked all combat licenses last month.

With Nevada currently on lockdown until May 1, the chances of an event going down in “Sin City” in the month of May are now looking pretty good.

If not, UFC has options, as Texas, California and Florida are potential landing spots for future events. And don’t forget “Fight Island,” which could also be ready by mid-May.

White recently announced that he is in the process of building a stacked card for the promotion’s return to action, which currently includes a trio of title fights such as Tony Ferguson vs Justin Gaethje for the interim Lightweight title, Henry Cejudo vs Dominick Cruz for the Bantamweight strap as well as Amanda Nunes defending her Featherweight title against Felicia Spencer.

Of course, all events will be staged behind closed doors for the time being, which means no fans will be in attendance.