Fans divided after UFC Apex expansion announcement following new $7.7 billion broadcast deal

UFC fans are divided regarding news about the UFC Apex just a day after the promotion announced a new historic broadcast deal.

This past Monday, UFC boss Dana White announced that the promotion has finalized a new broadcast deal with Paramount worth $7.7 billion, going away with the pay-per-view format.

Despite that, just a few hours after the huge announcement, White came out with a statement that contradicted TKO president Mark Shapiro, claiming that PPV is ‘not dead’ and that they may still run PPV events in the future.

And although the new deal has been extremely well received by the UFC fanbase, one of White’s biggest rivals, Jake Paul has questioned whether it will actually benefit the fighters.

READ MORE: Why the UFC’s new $7.7 billion broadcast deal spells concern for the sport and its fighters

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCUFC plan Apex expansion following historic broadcast dealNot long after the whopping deal was announced, news began to circulate that the promotion is planning on expanding the controversial UFC Apex to hold more fans.

Originally, the Apex only housed a few hundred people and only VIP tickets were sold for events, however, they expanded it slightly, making room for a few more fans.

However, after securing a guaranteed $7.7 billion, there are now talks for the Apex to be expanded to house 5000-10,000 fans, which would make it feel more like an actual arena.

According to the LVSportsBiz, UFC Chief Business Officer Hunter Campbell recently confirmed plans for the expansion, which he believes is a move that could transform the venue from a made-for-TV fight hub into a boutique arena capable of hosting select WWE PLEs, NXT specials, or cross-promotional events.

The UFC Apex already hosted an NXT event last year, and if there is an expansion, it will likely happen far more often considering TKO’s ownership of the UFC and WWE.

Hunter Campbell confirmed an expansion of the Apex to accommodate 5000-10,000 fans.

This would be perfect. If they do expand, I won’t say a blessed word about the Apex.

We just want to see the fighters get the opportunity to fight in front of a crowd, a proper atmosphere. pic.twitter.com/xru0dQ1CjL

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 11, 2025 View Tweet

Fans divided over the news of Apex expansionAlthough the expansion would eradicate the main issue fans have with the facility, it would likely mean that the promotion travels for events even less than they already do so.

“Can they fill it with low quality cards? No one is flying in from out of town,” one fan reacted.

“F— it. As long as tickets are affordable then that’s good enough! But right now Apex tickets run between $1750-3500 a ticket,” another fan said.

“There’s no atmosphere even if you stick 10k people in there. It’s a glorified chicken shed,” a third fan said.

At this point, it seems extremely unlikely that the UFC will do away with Apex shows, despite White having constantly implored that the amount of Apex shows would reduce.

“10,000 fans in a venue as small as the Apex would sound incredible to be fair,” another fan claimed.

“I don’t watch Apex fights, it’s so awful,” a fifth fan exclaimed.