Fans Call Out UFC’s “Propaganda” After Dana White Spends $30M on Expansion Project

The UFC and Dana White now market their Apex building in Las Vegas as a proper facility ideal for broadcast events and other media productions. It emerged as a reliable place to hold UFC events during the COVID-19 pandemic, but in 2025, fans seem to be disappointed with the promotion still investing resources into the project.

Dana White, who’s well-versed with the current media landscape, realizes that a massive audience is directly influenced by online streamers and digital creators. You might have noticed a surge in influencer-based content around the UFC and Power Slap, too. Although these creators, such as Nina Marie Daniele (Nina Drama) and Adin Ross, do showcase a genuine interest in the sport, fans often doubt that they’re being paid by the UFC to make the organization look good.

A recent example of the same is a post by Hayden Iverson, a betting analyst and owner of the popular homeoffight page on Instagram. He uploaded a vlog of his recent tour to the UFC Apex, giving fans a rundown of the management, seating, viewing experience, and hospitality. Right away, he was questioned whether the UFC paid him to promote the Apex while others outright called the content ‘propaganda.’

A commenter pointed out that spending money on a UFC Apex ticket is not a feasible option for most fans, “this is propaganda, no normal working-class fan is dropping over a grand to sit in the apex.” Another comment called the video “Apex Propaganda”. Interestingly, a fan doubting that the vlog was more about advertising the UFC also gained some traction, “They paying people to say the apex good now?”

To be fair to Iverson, he is a long-time fan and runs an MMA page with over 750,000 followers. Still, some people felt that he visited the Apex only to promote himself and not to enjoy the fights, “Why do people like you get tickets to these events? You obviously there to jus promote urself not like the card and u sound like you don’t know what your talking about.”

Having said that, it is important to point out the comments of people who’ve been to the UFC Apex before. These positive reactions include: “Yea it’s dope Live. Felt bad b*****g about watching it on tv til I went in person. Intense”,  “When I went to the Apex with my dad 2 years ago I said it was the best experience I’ve ever had. Have been to 3 events since at arenas and it was nowhere near as good.”

From the looks of it, the UFC Apex actually offers a more complete, private, and premium viewing experience, which is exactly what the UFC is promoting it as. However, the majority of the fanbase watches at home where the Apex events can feel dull due to no crowd. Overall, Dana White might be at a crossroads as to which faction to prioritize here.

Dana White has big hopes for the UFC Apex after spending $30 million on expansion project

UFC brass and Dana White have invested in the Apex for the long run because it is a cost-effective way to organize events. Earlier this year, the UFC CEO also announced a $30 million expansion project for the building, which would help it become a premier venue for holding a variety of sporting and other events. White 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.”

Back in June 2024, the WWE, which also operates under the TKO umbrella, organized its annual NXT Battlegrounds at the UFC Apex. Apparently, this is just the beginning of such cross-promotions as the expansion will further add to the facility’s appeal.

In hindsight, it is worth pointing out that the negative reception towards Apex cards might also be tied to the actual fights on display. In 2025, a lot of PPVs and Fight Nights have felt rather weak compared to last year. This counter-narrative also suggests that fights like Dustin Poirier vs. Dan Hooker and Deiveson Figueiredo vs Brandon Moreno are so beloved because the lack of the crowd lets you listen to the impact of the shots clearly and watch the fight more rationally. Do you concur?