You guys remember when the Covid restrictions hit and caused a ruckus with the venues, before the apex.
At the start of everything Dana found one place that would take them, an Indian reservation in Nevada. He then said he got a call asking him not to do it.
After that he came out with a statement that he was going to bring the ufc back to the same location because they went out on a limb for him when no one else would.
I can’t remember the location but I believe it was in Nevada or New Mexico. Ring any bells?
Yeah—you’re thinking of the Tachi Palace Casino Resort, which sits on tribal land operated by the Tachi-Yokut Tribe.
Back in early 2020 when COVID restrictions shut everything down, Dana White tried to keep events going and lined up fights there because tribal land wasn’t subject to the same state athletic commission rules. The plan was to hold a full card (what became “UFC 249”) at Tachi Palace.
Then, very last minute, he said he got a call from higher-ups (widely reported as pressure from broadcasters/ESPN and parent company Disney), and the event was canceled.
Shortly after, Dana did publicly say he wanted to go back there to repay them for stepping up when no one else would—but ultimately the UFC shifted to using the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and later “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi instead.