The UFC Apex is reported to be closing down its doors for a while and the fans can’t contain their excitement! The Nevada facility, launched in 2019, has been the go-to venue for Fight Night events for a while now. Starting during the pandemic, the venue was used by the promotion and boss Dana White as a way to host UFC events without audiences and behind closed doors.

While the unique experience of watching fights without any crowd noise had its appeal, the allure has seemingly worn thin with the fandom! In a recent post shared on Reddit, it was reported that “A couple things to look forward to in November: This stupid hand-down rule is going away, and the UFC Apex is apparently closing for construction until next summer.”

For many fans, the temporary closure of ‘The Apex’ is a welcome change and the community is eagerly awaiting what Dana White has got up his sleeve next. Here’s a look at what the fandom had to say.

Fans rally behind ‘The Apex’ changes as Dana White and UFC deal with falling interest in ‘Fight Night’ cards

UFC color commentator Joe Rogan had previously indicated that he preferred ‘The Apex’ over other major venues to watch fights. According to Rogan, “It’s the best place to see fights!”. But that sentiment isn’t shared by the fans as they claimed that the lack of atmosphere and an “empty warehouse” feel at ‘Fight Night’ events is why they are happy with the news of the venue being closed temporarily.

“No empty warehouse shows for 7 months man I used to pray for times like this”

One fan pointed out that while it made sense to use the venue during the pandemic when restrictions made it necessary to host events behind closed doors, the recent success of the UFC is being hindered by hosting ‘Fight Night’ cards at the smaller venue in front of limited capacity crowds.

“It’s insane that the UFC insists on using the APEX for Fight Night Cards. This is the most successful the UFC has ever been, there is no excuse for not having shows in front of crowds like they used to. The APEX should only be used for TUF and DWCS”

Fans also claimed that the UFC is planning to upgrade the venue. It remains to be seen if the renovations will make ‘The Apex’ a better viewing experience for the fans but the reactions indicate that the fandom is looking forward to it.

“They’re upgrading it. Dana or someone mentioned it.”

Another contentious issue has been the rules over “downed fighters” in the UFC and the newest rule changes will lead to less “confusion” amongst the fighters and the officials according to this fan.

“What’s even stupider is different states have different rules on what constitutes a downed fighter. So it cause confusion with the fighters and even the refs.”

One fan brought up the fact that the Octagon in use inside ‘The Apex’ is smaller than the standard cage used for other venues. As such, they pointed out that Dana White had previously claimed that the lighting system was the reason behind the smaller Octagon. Another interesting thing to note is that the smaller Octagon makes it harder for movement-heavy fighters to implement their gameplan, so with the rumored increase in size a possibility, strikers may find themselves having an easier time at ‘The Apex’.

“I remember distantly that Dana said the apex is 20×20 and not 25×25 because the lighting system was improper and would require an entire reconstruction of the lights to make it larger. I’m curious to see if this is going to be one of the changes.”

However, one fan wasn’t so sure about the reports of the UFC moving away from smaller shows in Las Vegas as they pointed out that it’ll be hard for the promotion to make the change. However, earlier this year at the UFC St. Louis press conference, the UFC head honcho had claimed that, “Yeah…I’ve been saying this for a long time, we’ve got to get out of the Apex and start doing more events in all these different cities we’re starting to do it. We’re getting it done this year.”

“I honestly won’t be surprised if they find a place in Vegas to continue having shows without an audience. I just can’t see them ditching the apex format and going back on the road, even for 7 months.”

In conclusion, fans are eager to see whether the UFC will take this opportunity to revamp the Apex, making it a more suitable venue for future events. While the promotion has yet to make an official statement about the construction or what changes might be coming to ‘The Apex’, the next few months could bring significant upgrades to the UFC Apex, and fans are here for it! What are your thoughts on UFC Fight Nights held at ‘The Apex’ and what changes would you like to see made to the venue? Let us know in the comments below!