Historically, the UFC has mostly stuck to traditional 20,000-plus-capacity arenas for its biggest shows, including T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. However, the promotion has occasionally gone bigger, with five events standing out for their massive attendance figures.
- UFC 129 — Rogers Centre, Toronto, Canada: 55,724
- UFC on FOX 14 — Tele2 Arena, Stockholm, Sweden: 30,000
- UFC 193 — Etihad Stadium, Melbourne, Australia: 56,214
- UFC 198 — Arena da Baixada, Curitiba, Brazil: 45,207
- UFC 243 — Marvel Stadium, Melbourne, Australia: 57,127
But the company took things to another level in 2024 with its award-winning Las Vegas Sphere show for Noche UFC. Then came UFC Freedom 250, which made history by bringing a UFC event to the White House lawn.
Clearly, Dana White isn’t done chasing the next big spectacle. Earlier this month, the UFC boss teased that the promotion is already working on another massive event during separate appearances on TMZ and The Pat McAfee Show.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, White said, “Now my head of production Craig Borsari is so cocky after he absolutely killed that event, we are talking about something right now that he came up with. This was his idea, and I love it. I have to do some more groundwork on it.”
🚨 Dana White teases that another BIG UFC event is in the works after the success of the White House event 👀
“We are talking about something right now that [Craig Borsari] came up with. I love it.
I have to do some more ground work on it.”
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/0MMtnzuKzc
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 11, 2026
White later offered another tease during an appearance with TMZ, saying, “I have a couple of calls after this weekend to see if we can get it done, and then [Craig Borsari] is gonna fly out… he’s going to do some recon work on the impossible event.”
Naturally, that was enough to get fans guessing about where the UFC could pull off its next blockbuster show. Now, however, there appears to be at least one important piece of the puzzle. During a recent interview with Spinnin Backfist, White confirmed that the mysterious event will take place somewhere in the United States. He said, “It’s in America.”
That still leaves plenty of room for speculation. When interviewer Jack McNamara suggested that Mount Rushmore could be the location White has in mind for a potential event next year, the UFC boss didn’t exactly shut the idea down.
Instead, he smiled and said, “What would make sense is that I love that area.” He added, “I go to Sturgis as many times as I can when it’s happening. I couldn’t go this year, but I do love that town.”
Look at Dana White’s smile when @JackMac speculated that the next outdoor UFC event would be at Mount Rushmore.
“I love that area…I go to Sturgis as much as I can” pic.twitter.com/INa0ihD6iD
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) August 28, 2026
For the uninitiated, Mount Rushmore is located near Keystone, South Dakota, roughly 45 miles north of Sturgis. The area is also a popular destination for motorcyclists attending the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, with many riders making the trip to the monument during the event.
Of course, the Mount Rushmore theory is still just a theory. But it certainly makes for an intriguing possibility given White’s comments about the area. And this isn’t the first time the UFC has floated an ambitious location. White previously spoke about potentially staging an event at the Colosseum in Rome, a possibility that came up during the high-profile negotiations surrounding a potential Elon Musk-Mark Zuckerberg fight.
For now, White appears to be treating the Sphere and White House shows as unique, once-in-a-lifetime spectacles rather than events that can simply be replicated. The next project, then, doesn’t necessarily have to be bigger than either of them. Instead, it sounds like the UFC wants to create something completely different.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
