Ditch the Apex
It has now been over a week and the high of UFC 300 has worn off some. Nevertheless, it was undoubtedly one of the finest MMA events in the history of the sport. It’s doubtful there has been an event that topped the cumulative amount of talent that graced the cage that night.
It doesn’t hurt that the fighters felt the weight of the event too, hoping to deliver something special and succeeding. The atmosphere provided by the crowd was the cherry on top of the sundae.
However, that appears to be the biggest problem with the overall presentation of the UFC product. Not the crowds; the crowds have been fine.
It’s that the UFC has deliberately been avoiding having crowds at their events.
When the UFC first began running events at the Apex, it was totally understandable. The world was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and was looking to minimize the amount of human contact so the virus wouldn’t spread.
Holding events in the APEX allowed them to avoid having to lease out empty arenas while still allowing for the events to be broadcast to the rest of the world. For a while, it was even kind of fun to notice the difference between the atmosphere of the fights in an empty arena and in a packed one.
Plus, fights were better than no fights, a sentiment everyone can agree upon.
Here we are now, four years beyond the world largely shutting down, things fully opened back up, and the UFC is still running events at the Apex on the regular. In fact, more than half of the events ran in the calendar year of 2024 have been at the Apex, a total of seven to six in other venues.
After this upcoming weekend, it will be eight events in the Apex to eight elsewhere. With other major sporting events having fully removed COVID protocols – I attended an NBA game approximately a month ago – there's no excuse for the organization to still be utilizing the Apex at that rate.
I don’t say that just because it is well-established at this point that the atmosphere of a live audience can’t be replicated.
Don’t get me wrong, I would say that alone is reason enough as fighters tend to feed off the crowd and deliver the best action in the process. But an even greater reason is the amount the fans are being cheated in the process.
I’ve been to several MMA events, large and regional. I’m not attempting to be disrespectful at all to any other organization, but the UFC’s live events are the best. That includes Bellator events, which are – or should I say were – quality events.
I recognize my “evidence” is anecdotal, but I’ve heard the same from those whom I’ve talked about this issue. If anything, given this fact, the criticism that I’m leveling at the UFC is they aren’t playing up to one of their major strengths.
While I’ve been able to talk my father-in-law – who doesn’t fully get the appeal of the sport -- into going to a small regional show, I’m still waiting for the next opportunity to get him to attend a UFC event. Perhaps that might be the trick that helps him understand what I see in this sport.
As it is, the UFC is already a rarity in terms of the amount of events it runs. For those who believe the product is already oversaturated, that might sound ludicrous, but let me explain.
In 2023, the UFC ran a total of 43 events. 17 of them were held in the Apex, leaving just 26 UFC events to be held in front of a live audience.
By comparison, there are 272 NFL regular season games a year. That’s more than 10 times the amount of opportunities to attend a live NFL event if things were to run similarly to last year.
It gets even worse when compared to the other major North American sports. There are 1,230 NBA regular season games a year. 1,312 NHL regular season games a year. 2,430 MLB regular season games a year.
I haven’t included the playoff games in any of those totals either. In comparison to 26 UFC events last year.
The UFC likes to pride itself on being the fastest-rising sport in the world. At this point, it feels more like the most exclusive sport in the world.
This isn’t me saying it needs to start running an event every day in hopes of catching up to the number of events run by other sports; that’s an impossibility.
But is it too much to open up every event to the public? It shouldn’t be. After all, that’s how it used to be before the pandemic.
As a business dependent on the paying customer, the UFC should be looking to deliver the best possible product as much as possible. As someone who has been to a live UFC event, I will admit they do it right.
The video packages they present throughout the event do a phenomenal job of hyping up the audience. And when the audience is able to experience that jaw-dropping KO or the excitement of a back-and-forth slugfest, it’s a major rush.
When you present the product as well as the UFC does, why take that live experience away from the fans?
I haven’t even brought up the sentiments of the fighters yet. I’m sure there are some who prefer the Apex. It’s much easier to hear your corner. I’m sure there are some that feel less pressure in such a quiet environment as well.
But those few fighters tend not to pipe up, Terrance McKinney being the only fighter I can think of who has declared they enjoy fighting in the Apex.
Even then, I don’t believe he said he preferred the Apex. Fighters want to feel the rush of the crowd, the adulation that comes with a violent finish.
It’s hard to believe that anyone that chooses a career involving getting punched in the face on the regular wouldn’t find the risk of being embarrassed in that manner to be worth it.
I’m not the type to omit information that is relevant to a potential counterargument. In fact, it’s easy to pinpoint the counterargument here.
After this weekend, of the 13 scheduled events that have a set destination, only two of them are scheduled for the Apex. However, according to Nolan King, the UFC is attempting to gain permits for two more future events at the Apex, one in July and another in August.
The UFC still isn’t planning to take the show on the road full-time, which is what they need to do if they want to truly be as fan-friendly as they like to proclaim.
Perhaps the UFC is desperate to ensure the Apex gets used. If that’s the case, what was the facility originally built for?
Opening in 2019, it was fortuitous for the UFC it was completed when it was as the building became the primary home for events less than a year after opening.
Regardless, that’s something I’ve thought about as well. And I think I have a solution that would prove beneficial for everyone.
First, a little bit of background before I dump my hypothesis. Right now, the UFC runs Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS) beginning in the summer and into the fall for 10 weeks.
DWCS has proven to be a major success, becoming the primary pipeline for young talent into the organization. Every episode has run during a weekday in the Apex since the opening of the facility.
We know the UFC will continue running DWCS at the Apex, but that’s only for a stretch that covers about a fifth of the year. I suppose there’s also The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), but that’s only another six weeks and I’ve advocated for the UFC to kill off TUF for years.
It’s become redundant with the existence of DWCS.
Here’s my proposal. Spread out DWCS.
Rather than run it seasonally, run it once a month. That will increase the amount of episodes to 12 a year and also produce a steady flow of talent coming into the organization as opposed to a massive burst of names incoming all at once.
On top of that, run a minor five-fight UFC card every month during a weekday at the Apex. There’s already an issue of the UFC’s roster being on the bloated side, so how about adding another 60 fights a year to book to help combat that bloat?
I understand this proposal is going against my original idea of not having full-fledged events at the Apex, at least on the surface. The five-fight events I’m proposing aren’t full-fledged events.
The weekend events remain live events the fans can attend, allowing them to enjoy the UFC experience to the maximum. The weekday events ensure the UFC maintains steady use of the Apex and even allow them the opportunity to expand their brand.
I know plenty of people who would rather watch fights on a weekday rather than stay in on a Saturday night.
Perhaps the UFC would rather not go above and beyond on their present distribution contract. Perhaps they can’t. I can’t say for sure.
What I do know is the best thing the UFC can do to expand their brand is allow as many people to experience it live. For as many fans to understand what it means to make the Baba O’Reilly reel.
Continually booking the Apex doesn’t allow for that, nor does it translate well over the television screen. I know I’m not the only one who feels this way.