UFC in 2024: Dana White and the rest of the promotion are set to define the industry in the coming months
2024 could be one of the most important years in UFC history. The promotion produced an all-time classic UFC 300 card and welcomed new champions from around the world, but what happens at the start of the year will also be decided by what’s to come.
UFC president Dana White promises an unrivalled sporting spectacle over Mexican Independence Day weekend, as The Sphere in Las Vegas seeks to cap a crossroads moment in mixed martial arts. The UFC will stand trial in an industry-defining antitrust lawsuit while the promotion prepares for a major media rights deal in 2025.
From landscape-changing trials to big fights in the future, let’s take a look at what’s coming up in the UFC and MMA over the next four months.
UFC wears gloves in court
Excitement over UFC fighter reform cools after promotion Two class action rivalry lawsuits settled in March. Judge Richard Boulware’s denial of the settlements and the ensuing trial has caused more uneasiness than excitement. The judge, in denying the combined $335 million settlement, suggested the UFC’s payout in Le v. Zuffa was too low and that the UFC’s restrictive covenants in Johnson v. Zuffa did not make significant changes. Fighters will receive nothing if a unanimous jury verdict comes in the UFC’s favor. The promotion — which regularly Brokers made record profits — If the athletes win their case, they could face billions of dollars in payouts and changes to the structure of their contracts. A tentative hearing date for the Le v. Zuffa case has been set for October 28.
White promises a unique spectacle
Speaking of money, the UFC is putting millions of dollars into this show at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The Mexican Independence Day card, dubbed both UFC 306 and Noche UFC, will take place on Sept. 14. White told CBS Sports and other reporters at the UFC 303 post-fight press conference in June that the promotion had already put $17 million into the event about three months before the card.
“That’s when I call you guys and tell you what we’re doing,” White said. “The team we’ve put together to do this has a lot of Oscar, Emmy, Grammy wins. There will be a director who will be filming the inside of the Sphere so people can feel like they’re there.
“What we’re going to try to do will never be replicated. Nobody will be able to do it again. There would be no point in doing it because it would cost too much money. It will be one of the best things you’ve ever seen live in an arena, and we’re going to try to do one of the best things you’ve ever seen on TV.”
UFC 306 features bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, a trilogy bout between women’s bantamweight queen Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, and a rematch of the never-before-seen fight between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopez from UFC 303.
The hefty price tag of The Sphere card prompted the UFC to sign a title partner for UFC 306, a first for the promotion. The event is officially branded as “Riyadh Season Noche UFC” thanks to Saudi Arabia’s investment, which later led to an interesting twist at the UFC 303 press conference.
Francis Ngannou returns to MMA
This isn’t technically a UFC story, but it’s worth noting that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is returning to MMA for the first time since his January 2022 title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Ngannou will take on multiple-time PFL champion Renan Ferreira in his PFL debut on Oct. 19.
The UFC’s slightly soft stance on Ngannou makes the fight even more interesting. White has been staunchly against Ngannou promoting with other organizations since Voluntarily left the UFC and resigned his position to sign with the PFL. Turki Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, successfully united several boxing promoters to stage long-awaited fights such as Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury. When asked by CBS Sports if the Riyadh Season’s involvement could lead to a co-promotion for a bout with Ngannou, White dodged the topic. White’s response was non-committal, but far less defensive than White’s previous thoughts on the matter.
“We’ve really built a relationship over the last couple of months,” White said. “I respect everything he does. [Alalshikh] Boxing has done that. It’s the only one that can do that and make these big fights happen. And the fights are good, you don’t have people who come to the fight and put off the fight until the next day to make money.
“What this guy has done in a very short period of time is incredible, so we’re discussing a lot of different options with this guy. I respect him. I like him, so we’ll see what happens in the future.”
White should probably think about helping fund UFC 306 with the Riyadh season, but the reported $20 million site fee for the UFC’s June 22 card in Saudi Arabia and another Saudi card expected in 2025 mean the UFC and Saudi Arabia are going to be doing business together for some time. Of course, for Ngannou to have any interest in a crossover fight he’ll have to beat Ferreira first.
Big battles on the horizon
The UFC has several big fights planned over the next few months. First up is UFC 305 on August 17, which will feature UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis and Israel Adesanya. The two have had a bitter rivalry for several years, dating back to when Adesanya became champion.
The promotion is returning to PPV for the aforementioned Sphere card on September 14. While little is known about UFC 307 as of now, UFC 308 looks fantastic. Spain’s Ilia Topuria will make his first featherweight title defense against favorite multi-champion and current BMF titleholder Max Holloway on October 26. UFC 308 will be bolstered by a middleweight title eliminator pitting Robert Whittaker against Khamzat Chimaev, a fight that was previously scheduled for June 22.
It hasn’t been announced, but UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic is expected to be the main attraction on the PPV at Madison Square Garden in New York City in November. The fight will be interesting to fans either for the legacy or for the implications for interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
Fans shouldn’t hold their breath, but Conor McGregor recently claimed a fight with Michael Chandler was still in discussions for December after he withdrew following the headliner in June. Take this with skepticism.
