Fighters Only

Issue 195

January 2022

With the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way we lived our lives, the sporting world was hit hard, with live events slowing to a virtual stop amid restrictions, social distancing, and increased safety regulations. But, in the face of all these obstacles, the UFC pressed forward and thrived, thanks in no small part to their state-of-the-art Las Vegas facility, the UFC Apex, writes Simon Head.

When the history of the UFC during the COVID-19 pandemic is written, the Apex will be a major factor. Put simply, it has proved to be a gamechanger for the UFC, and served as a valuable template for success for other sports, too.

While the sporting world was forced to shut down, UFC president Dana White and his team set to work on how they could continue putting on shows, putting on fights, and keeping their product on live television during a time when sports fans were desperate for bonafide live sport to watch while stuck in their homes.

The Apex itself wasn't built as a promotional liferaft during a pandemic, but nonetheless, that's exactly what the 130,000-square-foot facility has become, with the building proving to be a crucial part of the UFC's continued presence during the pandemic.

The UFC Apex opened in June 2019, with the building housing 50,000 square feet of production space and 70,000 square feet of office space. The facility officially opened with the premiere of the third season of Dana White's Contender Series, but has gone on to become the home of UFC events during a time when big-arena shows have been wiped from the schedules.

"UFC Apex is going to be a massive gamechanger for combat sports and for UFC," said White when the facility first opened.

"This facility gives us the flexibility to try new things and push the envelope on producing and distributing combat sports all over the world.

"We are limited only by my imagination. When you think of where we started and where we are now, it’s pretty incredible, but we haven’t even scratched the surface of how big this will become."

In recent months, the UFC has created COVID-safe bubbles for fighters, teams, and their own staff, and held live events at the Apex with restricted staff. The facility, which boasts a full production suite that allows the UFC to fully manage live fight night broadcasts, both on-site and remotely, and allowed the promotion to fully manage the live event, and its broadcast production, all from within one bubble, at one facility.

"With the UFC Apex, we’re future-proofing the way we produce and distribute our content," said UFC VP of Production Craig Borsari.

"The combination of the state-of-the-art technology, with this enormous highly configurable arena space, gives us the opportunity to host other live events beyond combat sports.

"The UFC Apex allows us to branch out into creating other forms of in-demand sports and entertainment content and distribute them anywhere in the world."

While three events were being held behind closed doors in Jacksonville, the UFC's production and facilities staff were prepping the Apex to become the UFC's home during the pandemic, and the venue hosted its first UFC-branded event on May 30, 2020, UFC on ESPN: Woodley vs. Burns, with the first numbered pay-per-view show, UFC 250: Nunes vs. Spencer, taking place at the Apex two weeks later.

The different, stripped-back feel of the shows captured the imagination of fight fans, with the largely empty arena, coupled with the outstanding audio captured during the fights, taking the fans closer than ever to the action, with every punch, kick, elbow, and knee feeling cleaner, harder, and more real than before. Corner advice rang out around the arena, and even the commentary could be heard by the fighters. After each fight, cleaning staff entered the Octagon to disinfect the canvas before the next bout.

Sure, with the lack of a raucous crowd, there was a major piece of the live UFC experience missing, but we had live fights, and the UFC was very much back in business.

The Apex held five consecutive shows between May 30 and June 27 before the UFC headed to Abu Dhabi, and the much-hyped "Fight Island" setup on Yas Island for four events in the summer of 2020. But, after their stint on Yas Island, the Octagon returned to its new home at the Apex for an eight-event run.

The UFC alternated "Fight Island" stints in Abu Dhabi with extended runs of shows at the Apex as they held 21 UFC events, plus the entire 10-event fourth season of the Contender Series, at the Las Vegas venue in 2020. Remarkably, that number was eclipsed the following year, with 31 UFC events, including 10 back-to-back events between February 6 and April 17, plus 10 more Contender Series on Tuesday nights,in 2021.

The Apex continues to host UFC events to this day and, even though restrictions have lifted and the UFC is able to play to packed houses once again, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the UFC Apex continue to play a crucial role as a venue for smaller Fight Night events moving forward.

With all the facilities in place, the UFC Performance Institute next door, and no issues with availability, the UFC's multi-million-dollar investment in the UFC Apex has likely already more than paid for itself many times over. It also served as a template for how other sports could operate during the pandemic, with the NBA operating a similar setup for their 2020 NBA Bubble at World Disney World in Florida.

And, with the popularity of the UFC experiencing a real boom due to their live shows during the pandemic, the decision to run regular events at the venue may prove to be as pivotal a decision as the Fertittas' decision to bankroll the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter. Hopefully, we've now seen the back of the COVID-19 pandemic. But it looks like the UFC Apex is here to stay.

UFC Apex: Fast facts

The remodeling of the UFC Apex building includes the following enhancements:

18 miles of new wire
2 new support beams for the roof, weighing 12 tons each
6 miles of steel studs used to construct new walls
1,482 gallons of fresh paint, including 300 gallons of black paint
170 LED panels on four displays
395 new energy-efficient LED-based lighting fixtures
46 custom 12-inch tall RGB LED bars, designed specifically for the louvers in the Octagon staging

UFC Apex contains 22 individual rooms, including: