Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Apex Facility has continued to host events for longer than fans expected it to.
The Apex was utilized as the promotion’s big solution to making it through the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, hosting events in Las Vegas, Nevada. Four years later, fights are still happening on an occasionally weekly basis inside the crowdless home of UFC.
All of Flyweight hopeful, Charles Johnson’s, UFC career (2-4, 13-6 overall) has taken place in the Apex after his debut at UFC London in July 2022. Gearing up to make it six straight appearances in the smaller Octagon, Johnson has quite frankly had enough.
“For a time I enjoyed it but now I’m just kind of irritated with it because I don’t feel like I’ve been afforded the full UFC experience,” Johnson told Jamie Theo. “My whole career is gonna be in the f—king Apex, you know? No fans. I can’t even get my wife in there and my baby girl ‘cause the tickets are f—king $1600 plus.
“They say they don’t have any tickets every time I fight to give me one ticket for my wife. So, it’s pretty irritating,” he continued. “That’s the most irritating aspect of it. For it to be in-house and stuff like that I feel like you could give one seat for my wife or a family member.”
While UFC keeps doing events in the venue, the Apex has also become home to UFC CEO, Dana White’s, side projects, Contender Series and Power Slap League. It was fun at first in some ways with its unique and quieter atmosphere. Now that its sole reason for hosting fights is over though, it’s been time to move on and keep the big fight feel alive and frequent.
Johnson, 33, aims to snap a three-fight losing skid against Azat Maksum at UFC Vegas 85 this weekend (Sat., Feb. 3, 2024).
“Outside of that, it’s always this one heckler guy in there, he’s always heckling people,” Johnson said. “Asshole guy, got money, so he can be in there. It’s alright. It’s cool. I like the intimacy of it, being able to hear him breathing and hear everything and stuff, but after being in the arena in Toronto and in Jacksonville, Vegas, it’s something about it. I love the fans, man. I love that energy.
“When I’m in the Apex, it feels like a spar session,” he concluded. “It doesn’t feel like a real fight a lot of times.”
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 85 fight card right here, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches, which are scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ET, then the remaining main card balance (also on ESPN+) at 7 p.m. ET.
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