Meta is planting a deeper flag in Las Vegas combat sports.
On Tuesday, Meta and UFC announced a landmark naming rights partnership for the UFC’s durable live event and broadcast facility, officially rebranding the venue as Meta APEX. Located next to UFC headquarters, the building has been a nerve center for Fight Nights, Dana White’s Contender Series, UFC BJJ, and now select Zuffa Boxing events.
The deal extends a partnership forged in 2025, when Meta became UFC’s first Official Fan Technology Partner. With the new naming rights, Meta APEX becomes a showroom for Meta’s latest advancements in artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and wearable AI glasses, all integrated directly into the live fight experience.
“Meta is always at the forefront of technology and immersive experiences, and their enhancements will change the way fans view live fights,” UFC President and CEO Dana White said. “For the first time ever, fans can come to Meta APEX and experience UFC fights with interactive VR, AI, and wearable technology.”
The timing aligns with a major renovation currently underway at the facility. Once completed later this year, Meta APEX will feature expanded seating for up to 1,000 fans, upgraded food and beverage options, enhanced merchandise areas, new hospitality spaces, and a remodeled entrance and lobby complete with a ticket box office. For the first time since opening in 2019, tickets to all Meta APEX events will be available to the general public.
In a press release, Alex Schultz, Meta’s CMO and VP of Analytics, emphasized that the partnership goes well beyond signage. “This is about redefining how fans and athletes connect and experience the sport,” Schultz said. “We’re excited to bring our technology even deeper into UFC and give fans new ways to immerse themselves in the action.”
Since opening its doors, the APEX has been a nonstop fight factory, cranking out nearly 200 UFC events, from Fight Nights to Dana White’s Contender Series
Now it’s adding a ring to its resume, serving as home to Zuffa Boxing, with the inaugural card set for Friday, January 23.
According to date requests listed on the newly released agenda for the Jan. 20 Nevada Athletic Commission meeting, Zuffa is lining up multiple Paramount+ events at the APEX. The promotion is seeking approval for Jan. 23 headlined by Walsh vs. Ocampo, followed by Feb. 1 and Feb. 14 cards
The UFC APEX has never been flashy, and it was never supposed to be. It just worked. When the sport needed it most, it showed up, staged the fights, and kept the lights on.
This is the building where Francis Ngannou flattened Stipe Miocic to win the heavyweight title. It’s where Daniel Cormier took his final walk to the Octagon. Real moments. Real stakes. No hype needed. Over time, the APEX became a vital asset for the UFC.
Its value came into sharp focus during COVID-19. While much of sports shut down, the UFC leaned on the APEX to run closed-door events, manage strict health and security protocols, and satisfy the Nevada State Athletic Commission. The promotion didn’t just survive. It kept moving forward.
Dana White has said it plainly. “The Apex is one of the smartest things we’ve done in 20 years. Timing is everything in life, and this place was done just in time for a global pandemic.”
That’s not hyperbole. That’s reality. The APEX wasn’t about spectacle. It was about control, reliability, and execution. In a moment when uncertainty ruled sports, the UFC had certainty in that building.
Now, as Meta puts its name on the APEX, the venue shifts from survival to strategic weapon. It’s still about fights, still about business, still about results. Only now, the building that once carried the UFC through its toughest stretch is being positioned for its next evolution.
