Honda Center has been hosting UFC events since 2006Getty Images
Ahead of UFC and WWE hosting events within two days of each other at Honda Center, the sides this morning are announcing a long-term deal with the TKO Group properties that includes a presence at the forthcoming OCVibe mixed-use development. Honda Center has been hosting UFC events since 2006, and from this Saturday through Monday, the venue will become the first to host back-to-back UFC and WWE events since TKO Group was formed in 2023. Now, the sides say they have reached agreement for UFC and WWE to bring three events each at minimum to Honda Center through 2028.
That could include anything from UFC Fight Nights to higher-level PPVs, along with WWE Raw and SmackDown events. TKO Group will also work with Ducks owner the Samueli family on giving WWE and UFC a presence at the $4B, 100-acre OCVibe development that is meant to turn the parking lots and other surrounding areas of Honda Center into a gleaming mixed-use area with residential and business elements. That could include things like watch parties at restaurants that will be built there, according to the sides. WWE has a rich history at the Anaheim venue, where it has held more than 60 events over three decades.
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The move by TKO Group is a central part of its plan to better maximize the value of UFC and WWE by combining their commercial rights and power. While this weekend’s back-to-back schedule is a Saturday-Monday sequence, it’s possible that TKO could strike other deals in the future where they’re structured differently, such as a Saturday-Sunday sequence. OCVibe CEO Bill Foltz in prepared remarks said that UFC and WWE events at Honda Center “will only become more powerful as we reimagine the downtown experience for Orange County at OCVibe, creating a magnetic destination for entertainment, sports, and culture."
This weekend’s UFC event is UFC 298, the 10th card that Honda Center has hosted, the most of any venue in the U.S. outside of those in Las Vegas. The main event is a highly anticipated featherweight matchup between Alexander Volkanovski and Ilia Topuria. Monday will see the arrival of WWE Raw.
