On April 26, Chris Eubank Jr. and Connor Benn slugged it out in front of 65,000 people at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. The two Brits received both boos and cheers from the hyped-up crowd, but one thing is for sure — the event felt huge, felt like the only thing happening in the world at the time. The crowd emotionally synchronized with Eubank in his celebration of the hard-fought decision.
Undoubtedly, the choice to hold this British slugger at a stadium rather than a smaller arena matched the magnificence of the occasion.
On the contrary, UFC CEO Dana White has stated multiple times that he is not a fan of such events and that the private feeling of an arena is an important part of a UFC show.
So who’s right? And what’s better for the fans?
Ever since the record-breaking UFC 243, the organization hasn’t been eager to come back to stadium shows. The event became the most attended in UFC’s history, selling over 57,000 tickets. When it comes to outdoor events, there was only one of those: the notorious UFC 112. White ripped apart Anderson Silva’s main event performance against Demian Maia.
“The Spider” only landed 62 strikes throughout the 25-minute bout, while Maia hit him with 11. White was famously quoted as being “embarrassed” by Silva’s showing at the first event in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Unlike boxing, MMA events are rarely held in open stadiums, at least in the USA. European leagues like Oktagon and KSW are more used to football stadiums in Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Oktagon 62, held in October last year, was a massive event that attracted over 58,000 German fans. KSW is not much behind, as its biggest show at PGE Narodowy in Warsaw, Poland, attracted just over 57,000 people.
Not to say that every, or even every other, card of those promotions is in a sold-out stadium. More often than not, they use arenas as drawing over 20,000 fans each time is unrealistic. But just for the massive occasions, a 70,000-seat venue is more fitting.
Despite the interest the organization has shown towards the English market, they haven’t been to the most iconic venue in the country, Wembley Stadium. Boxing, on the other hand, made its mark with several iconic cards there, from Henry Cooper vs. Muhammad Ali to Daniel Dubois vs. Anthony Joshua.
“I’ve said many times: I’m not a big fan of stadium fights,” White said in July 2024, answering a question about a potential UFC event at Wembley. “I like the intimate feeling of an arena. I like arenas. I think it’s a better experience for the fans. Not saying that I wouldn’t do [a Wembley event], but I’m an arena guy.”
At the same time, the UFC CEO is often asked about coming to Spain, since Ilia Topuria, the No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, represents this country. White seemed open to the idea of hosting UFC Spain at Santiago Bernabeu — Real Madrid’s home venue — upon learning it could be converted into an indoor stadium.
The public is divided on the topic of stadium combat sports events: some say they feel more monumental, while others support White in saying that arena experience is better. Nobody is talking about leaving the arenas behind, though.
Fans are begging the UFC to visit some of the greatest European stadiums at least once, and they are ready to pay extra. One of the promotion’s main preferences always seemed to be the audience experience, and the audience has made its preference clear.
Image Credit: Guilherme Cruz/MMA Fighting
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