Kevin Lee is not a fan of fighting at the UFC Apex
At UFC Vegas 76, Kevin Lee is making his promotional return to fight at the UFC Apex. The Apex is a small UFC-owned facility where the promotion can host UFC Fight Night, Dana White’s Contender Series, The Ultimate Fighter, and Dana White’s Power Slap. The only problem is the venue is small and has limited fan seating.
The UFC Apex was opened in the heat of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the UFC owned the venue, they were able to host live events during the pandemic. This gave the UFC a ton of financial flexibility as they were able to host events without crowds, which was crucial in allowing the promotion to have cards in the heat of the pandemic.
It is 2023 and the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a massive concern, yet the UFC continues to host events at the Apex. No, it is not every event. The promotion is starting to hit the road more frequently, but a large number of UFC Fight Night events take place at the Apex. It is easy to criticize the UFC’s willingness to work from home as cards can fall flat without crowd energy.
At UFC Vegas 76, Lee, who last fought in the UFC in 2020, is set to make his promotional return against Rinat Fakhretdinov. Although, since the event will take place at the UFC Apex, the former interim title challenger will not get a chance to fight in front of a packed house.
When asked about fighting at the Apex, Lee admitted he preferred to fight in front of more fans.
“I’m not going to lie, I wish it was,” Lee told reporters Wednesday when asked if he wanted his fight to be at a larger venue, according to MMA Junkie. “I’m kind of – yeah, I wish it was in front of more fans. I don’t know how many people are going to be at Apex. But it’s kind of stupid.
“I don’t know what we doing. The pandemic over. I don’t know if people got the message, or if they sent the telegram. But the pandemic is over. I don’t know what we still doing here. I get that there’s money to be had, but it’s kind of stupid.”
Quote via TheScore
Kevin Lee isn't thrilled to be making his UFC return at the Apex.
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) June 28, 2023
"It's kind of stupid. I don't know what we doing. The pandemic over."
Full video: https://t.co/M0dTjPaOKn pic.twitter.com/iwt2fqxgPo
Nonetheless, Lee is ready to put on a show for the fans that will be in attendance.
“I’m going to go out there on Saturday in front of the two or 300 rich-ass motherf—–s that want to see me bleed, and we going to get it in,” Lee said.
Quote via TheScore
It is not hard to blame Lee for his desire to fight in front of fans. The energy of a UFC event changes when fans are in the building. I imagine it is a better environment for the fighters, but it also greatly improves the product on television too.
If anyone knows the difference between fighting in front of fans, it’s Lee. The Motown Phenom headlined UFC Fight Night Brasilia, the first pandemic card without fans, against Charles Oliveira. At the time, it was an interesting concept. Now, it feels a little lazy.
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