The Octagon may still host world-class violence, but outside the cage, the UFC and Dana White are facing a quiet rebellion. According to a report by BetMGM, the promotion is valued at $12.3 billion in 2025, yet the fans aren’t cheering; they’re groaning. And former UFC fighter Josh Thomson thinks he knows why.

During a recent conversation with veteran referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy on episode #580 of the ‘Weighing In’ podcast, Thomson pointed towards the promotion’s growing reliance on the Apex, the sterile Las Vegas facility that’s become a regular venue since COVID. According to him, while the Apex made sense during the pandemic, it might be time Dana White and the UFC shift their focus because the fans have clearly had enough!

Dana White handed a blunt warning from Josh Thomson about “lost” fan support

Josh Thomson began by stating, “Yeah, the UFC is… they’ve lost the fan base because they don’t go to the small towns. The Apex took over and there was a smart reason why the Apex took over—is obviously because of COVID to begin with. But then the ESPN struck the deal like, ‘Hey, as long as you hit this many views, whatever it is, you know we’ll pay our’ or ‘we’ll pay you for whatever it is you know and this is how much we’ll give you and if you break 500,000 views then we’ll pay you half or you get half and I get half.’ That’s a sweetheart deal.”

But it’s not just Thomson or the fans who are seemingly frustrated with the Apex cards. In a past interview with Ariel Helwani, middleweight star Bo Nickal confessed, “It doesn’t even feel close to the real arena and a real crowd. It feels like you’re just going out there to spar. I think that it affects the competition.”

Nickal even pointed to bouts like Francis Ngannou vs Stipe Miocic, Dustin Poirier vs Dan Hooker as examples of fights that would have benefited from taking place in arenas filled with roaring crowds. Even Helwani stated, “We are still watching fights that feel like it’s 2020.”

Dana White built an empire by knowing what the fans wanted. But has that vision gotten blurry under the lights of the APEX and the security of broadcast deals? Renato Moicano believes it to be the case. In a conversation with MMA Fighting, the Brazilian lightweight claimed that there’s no comparing the “dynamic” between shows on the road and Apex cards. Why?

Moicano shared, “It’s good [when it’s elsewhere] because all the athletes go to a different city and they call TV stations, radio people, and you do a fight night with media day and open workouts, and that makes people excited to watch the fights. But nobody cares when it’s the UFC APEX.”

From the UFC’s perspective, however, Apex events are marquee, not just because of convenience but also because of the amount the promotion spent on realizing the facility. According to Sports Business Journal, the promotion spent $40 million buying the facility in 2018, and an additional $20 million on equipping it. It’s no wonder the UFC prefers to have Fight Night events there, but that still doesn’t solve the issue of fans missing out on UFC events.

Unlike on-the-road events, there’s no media frenzy with UFC Apex events. No meet-and-greets. No open workouts. The result? An increasing disconnect between the fans and the fights Dana White and the UFC have to offer. Josh Thomson even pointed to, “But then now, they’re getting away from that deal then, you know, you got to start getting out there so the casual fan can watch. The problem they’re going to run into is that the UFC prices are f—–g ridiculous.”

That’s where UFC 318 comes in. Slated for New Orleans, UFC 318 was supposed to bring the energy back. Instead, it sparked disappointment. The card? Underwhelming. Outside of the main event between Dustin Poirier and Max Holloway for the BMF title, there’s little for fans to latch onto. No title eliminators. No rising stars. Just another night of filler fights on a premium ticket.  So, what does Dana White have to say about the growing chasm between the UFC and its fanbase?

White reveals bringing the UFC to “new places” as his goal for the future

At the UFC 316 post-fight press conference, Dana White spoke about the praise he received from fans who saw the show live at Newark’s Prudential Center. According to the UFC boss, “I love it. I like going to new places and exposing the live event to people—we had a bunch of people tonight (at UFC 316) who had never been to a live event before.”

He then continued by stating, “Anytime I can get that experience to bring people in that have never been, I love it, it’s literally my goal over the next however many years, till I drop dead.”

The UFC head honcho even claimed that many attendees in Newark had never seen a live UFC show before, and left as believers. That part? Hard to argue with. A live UFC card is chaos and adrenaline in its purest form. But here’s the thing: since 2020, the UFC has only visited three new countries. That’s all fine, the UFC has created a global presence with regular appearances in London, Abu Dhabi, Australia, and the likes.

But what about cities in the US? It’s with noting that in the last 5 years, the UFC only entered one new city, Des Moines. This was the first event in the state of IOWA since 2000, with UFC 26 taking place in Cedar Rapids.

Meanwhile, Apex shows continue to dominate the calendar. UFC executive Mark Shapiro even stirred controversy by recently suggesting that viewers can’t tell the difference between Apex events and arena shows. That claim was quickly shot down by fans and fighters alike.

White’s ambitions sound good on paper, but the numbers and travel schedules tell a different story. As the UFC continues to rake in billions and lean on broadcast deals, the fight for fan loyalty may prove to be its toughest bout yet. Can Dana White’s promises translate into action, or will the Octagon remain boxed into the Apex? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!