A new Vegas facility will host Contender Series bouts and potentially future seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter”GETTY IMAGES
UFC President Dana White said that this past weekend’s taping of the Brazilian version of “Contender Series” was the "last event that will take place" in "The Ultimate Fighter" gym in Las Vegas, according to Adam Hill of the LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL. White: "That’s the end of the ‘TUF’ building. We bought the building next door to (our headquarters in southwest Las Vegas), which is like 130,000 square feet now to add on to what we already have. We’re building a state-of-the-art facility for fights. Next season, we’ll be in the new gym and it’s going to be awesome." Hill notes the facility will "host Contender Series bouts and serve as a production set for other programs and projects." That could include future seasons of “The Ultimate Fighter,” despite previous reports the new season, which was "filmed over the summer and begins airing this month" on FS1, would be the "last as UFC’s new TV deal moves to ESPN." White said, "'The Ultimate Fighter’ will continue." He added that it may be housed on ESPN+ and "switch to one season per year instead of two." White: "There’s still a huge market for ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ It still does well" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/14).
