UFC Exec Confirms Fewer APEX Fight Nights in 2025

The UFC APEX isn't going away anytime soon, at least according to UFC manager David Shaw.

Shaw was in attendance Saturday night to handle media obligations for UFC Edmonton, in place of UFC CEO Dana White, who normally holds that role.

Still, Shaw gave an update on whether the UFC would move forward with internal UFC APEX events in Las Vegas. While the answer is yes, they will occur less frequently next year. An exact number wasn't announced, but Shaw clarified that this will come with an “increased” level of Fight Night cards on the road in various cities worldwide.

So far this year, the UFC has had 15 UFC APEX cards, excluding The Ultimate Fighter, Dana White's Contender Series and Road to UFC Fights. The final APEX card drops next Saturday, called UFC Vegas 100, before the venue takes a break until January for renovations.

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“Will we ever get back to pre-Covid without APEX? I don’t think so, but I think we’ll find the right balance for ourselves,” Shaw said.

Shaw's motivation for staying with the company for certain events comes from several factors, but chief among them is ease of access. Placing these cards in a smaller arena, let alone an arena where it owns the stadium, doesn't hurt the UFC's budget. Additionally, it allows the UFC to hold more fights that it otherwise would not have put on without its own space, given the arena's availability in certain cities and the timing.

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Shaw confirmed that Canada remains a priority for the UFC. He said he would like to bring pay-per-view to the region again, but explained that it would take “a few months” for official details to be ironed out.

For now, Fight Night events will continue to be an integral part of the promotion's portfolio, especially given that the UFC's media rights deal with ESPN expires at the end of next year.

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