WWE, UFC Agree to 5-Year Live-Event Partnership With Anaheim’s Honda Center

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerFeatured Columnist IVFebruary 15, 2024

Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC

WWE and UFC announced Thursday they struck a joint five-year partnership to stage live events at Honda Center in Anaheim, California.

This comes as the venue is set to host UFC 298 on Saturday and then WWE Raw two nights later.

Under the terms of the deal, WWE and UFC will each have three shows at Honda Center annually through 2028. That includes major pay-per-views/premium live events along with secondary showcases such as Fight Night, Raw and SmackDown.

“For nearly 20 years, Honda Center has been one of UFC’s most favorite venues to visit,” said Peter Dropick, the promotion’s executive vice president for event development and operations. “The Samueli Family and Honda Center team have been amazing hosts and have helped us put on some of the most memorable UFC events ever. Now the creation of OCVIBE will take the fan experience to the next level with all the innovative ways they will be able to activate around UFC and WWE events in one destination.”

Honda Center has also housed a number of WWE shows through the years including WrestleMania XII in 1996.

In September, WWE and UFC merged to form TKO Holdings.

This is the first time they’ve committed to a multiyear pact with a specific arena, and it probably won’t be the last. The venues get some long-term security in terms of show dates, and this will make it easier for WWE and UFC to join forces for major event weekends in the same city.