Remember UFC Noche at the Sphere? Amid stunning visuals surrounding some 16,024 spectators, the arena reverberated with hollers and cheers as the fighters entered with their walk-out songs in tow. Now add to that the $22 million in ticket sales revenue, the highest gate in UFC and Sphere history, and the highest-grossing merchandise sales for a UFC and Sphere event, and it’s safe to say that Dana White’s business idea worked wonders. But we’re not here to talk about that today, but rather its more humble/insignificant(?) counterpart, the UFC Apex Arena.

Opened in 2019 in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the measly 1000-seater venue was a lifesaver as people found themselves caged at home. But what White seems to forget is, that was five years ago, and the world has moved on. And, nowadays, the arena is no longer tied to innovation but the UFC’s efforts to subtly sideline fighters who won’t be able to bring in the numbers—the significance of which is not lost on the community.

From Renato Moicano to Angela Hill, many have shown their disdain already. Recently Dustin Jacoby, slated to fight Bruno Lopes on May 31 at UFC Fight Night: Blanchfield vs. Barber, also joined the bandwagon expressing his lack of excitement on fighting at the Apex. Appearing on the MMA Junkie Radio on April 23, the narrative kick-started when the host pointed out, “You come off a beautiful KO at the end of the year [vs Vitor Petrino] and they stick you on the Apex card. Does that kind of stick in your crawl a little bit? Because you should fight in front of like 15,000…or however many fit in there.”

To this, the fighter responded, “It does, man, to be honest with you. It does sting a little bit…The crowd lives for [the] moments, man and us, as fighters, we live for [the] moments. So, you’re right. It does sting a little bit. I thought for sure, I’d be going to another packed arena. But, unfortunately, that’s not what the UFC had in mind, and here we are at the Apex. Limited crowd. It is tough to get pumped up for those fights.” To this, the host asked whether fighters are informed beforehand about the venue and exactly what transpired when Jacoby was approached.

Jacoby said, “When they first came to this matchup, they didn’t know where it was. They thought it was going to be in Las Vegas, but they didn’t know it would be at the Apex. Of course, I’m where I’m at in my career because I’ve never said no. So when they came with Bruno Lopes, we looked him up, we saw he was 14-1, we saw he was an up-and-coming guy. I didn’t love the matchup.”

‘The Hanyak’ went on to say that he did not like Lopes’ style, but he never said no to any challenges. After reluctantly accepting the matchup, there was another disappointment waiting, though. The 20-9-1 star said, “Then I found out it was at the Apex, and I was pretty bummed. [But] again, I have to control what I can control and get the job done and move on, and hopefully fight with a crowd next time.” Notably, Jacoby’s last fight was in Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with an audience capacity of over 20k. The excitement was more palpable, and Jacoby was pumped up for the fight against Vitor Petrino. Jacoby won the bout via KO/TKO in Round 3.

So, as expected, he was not excited that he would be going from a packed arena to a venue with a limited crowd. Just like Renato Moicano had mentioned on his YouTube channel: “Nobody likes the Apex, my brother,” he had said earlier, before adding, “You can ask anybody. The fans hate the Apex. The fighters, I’m pretty sure, don’t like the Apex, too.”

Looks like if there’s one aspect that gigantic companies love more than development, it’s cost conservation, and The Apex is all about cost savings. But, despite the evident hate for the Enterprise, Nevada-based location, Dana White has decided he wants to spend even more money on it…

Dana White has almost $30 million tied to the UFC Apex

During the UFC 311 post-fight press conference, a reporter asked if the UFC Apex would feature boxing matches after its expansion. This is when Dana White gave a knowing smile and said, “I think you can see a lot of things at the Apex after the expansion. The Apex is gonna be bad— when it’s done. It’s like a $26 to $30 million expansion. So, it’s going to be very nice.”

Let’s not forget that the UFC bossman is a visionary, and he has made UFC one of the biggest promotions essentially from scratch. He also managed to cash on Power Slap just when it was getting traction and is now venturing into Boxing with Turki Alalshikh. So maybe he is going to do something with UFC Apex that might make the fighters fall in love with the venue.

In an interview with TNT Sports, the UFC boss declared, “The Apex is going under construction” and indicated that it will remain closed till mid-2025. He also revealed that there would be more hospitality, bathrooms and bigger seatings. Do you think fighters will appreciate the changes? Drop your comments below.