UFC 319 at the United Center in Chicago set a new record with a live gate totaling more than $11 million for a sold out show that welcomed over 20,000 fans into the arena.
The success of that card already
has the city clamoring for another event with hopes of bringing a fight card back to Chicago in 2026 but the message from ownership is clear — if you want the UFC, you’ve got to pony up a hefty site fee. That’s according to TKO Group Holdings president and COO Mark Shapiro, who detailed how the company is making travel plans moving forward into 2026 with 13 pay-per-view level events up for grabs as well as 30 UFC Fight Night cards per year.
“UFC is breaking records everywhere they go,” Shapiro said during the Goldman-Sachs Communicopia and Technology conference. “The last numbered event in Chicago was the highest grossing event in the history of the United Center. Dating back through the Michael Jordan days. The highest grossing event and they’re already at the table trying to get another fight for next year. We’re just a couple weeks post [event].
“We still have 30 Fight Nights to sell for UFC and they can be smaller but if we’ve got a St. Louis up against a Des Moines, Iowa, if you want us back there and you’ve sold out and broken records in both your arenas, you have to pay for us to come back or else we’ll take it to another town. That goes for NXT and Raw and Smackdown on the WWE side.”
Site fees are payments made by cities, states or local governments to bring high profile events to a particular place. For instance, Saudi Arabia reportedly paid around $20 million to bring a UFC card there for the first time in 2024.
Shapiro specifically mentioned U.S. cities like Atlanta, Charlotte and Detroit all vying to host UFC events in the near future.
The same goes internationally with the UFC just recently visiting Paris while continuing to expand its footprint in the Middle East through a partnership with the government in Abu Dhabi as well as a growing relationship with the powers-that-be in Saudi Arabia.
“Even in the Middle East where we’re breaking out of just the Middle East, we’re in conversations right now with the Saudis and with Abu Dhabi on bringing a UFC Fight Night to Saudi,” Shapiro revealed. “We’ve done one before but we’re embarking on bringing a second one there and that should be financially a very good story for everyone involved.”
The traveling UFC show isn’t slowing down any time soon and Shapiro made it clear that price really is going to drive the demand when it comes to landing a fight card.
“No shortage of countries similar to F1 that want to see is bring our show to town,” Shapiro said. “We’re going to maximize those opportunities in kind but most important to me is cash. Cash kills. That’s where we are.”
As further proof that TKO is all about site fees determining where events take place, WWE announced just days ago that for the first time ever the company’s biggest, marquee event WrestleMania would happen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2027. While no financial figures were disclosed, it’s safe to assume Saudi Arabia more than likely broke the bank to get the biggest WWE event of the year to take place in the Middle East.
