The UFC has announced its schedule for the first quarter of 2026, and while there are a number of road dates, Fight Night events at the UFC Apex will continue.
Hold the applause (not that we expect much).
The announcement of the first ten UFC events of 2026 came as part of Friday’s “It’s On” press conference, and sees the promotion heading to Houston, Mexico City, and Seattle, in addition to previously announced dates in Sydney, Australia and London, England.
The rest of the newly reported dates come in Las Vegas, which, outside of the first card of 2026 and UFC 326 in March, both at the T-Mobile Arena, will take place at the relatively barren UFC Apex.
- Jan. 24: UFC 324 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Jan. 31: UFC 325 – Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney
- Feb. 7: UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Feb. 14: UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- Feb. 21: UFC Fight Night – Toyota Center, Houston
- Feb. 28: UFC Fight Night – Arena CDMX, Mexico City
- March 7: UFC 326 – T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- March 14: UFC Fight Night – UFC Apex, Las Vegas
- March 21: UFC Fight Night: O2 Arena, London
- March 28: UFC Fight Night: Climate Pledge Arena, Seattle
The promotion’s own private venue and production facility was a godsend during the coronavirus pandemic, allowing the UFC to consistently and safely put on events when just about every other sports league was shut down. Since fans returned to venues, however, the company has been frequently criticized for seemingly lackluster fight cards attached to Fight Night shows at the Apex, with the term “Apex slop” entering the MMA lexicon.
While there had been some hope that the UFC would return to the road full time in the wake of the Paramount+ broadcast deal, which sees it earning $1.1 USD per annum for its U.S. broadcast rights alone, that does not seem to be the case.
