UFC Apex to host first WWE event on June 9
WWE, in partnership with the UFC, has announced that NXT Battleground will take place at the UFC Apex on Sunday, June 9 in Las Vegas.
This will mark the first-ever WWE event that will be hosted at the 130,000-square foot production facility, home of UFC Fight Night events, Dana White’s Contender Series and more.
“We are always exploring new frontiers to showcase NXT and we are excited to bring Battleground to this world-class production facility in partnership with UFC,” said WWE Senior Vice President of Talent Development Creative Shawn Michaels in a statement to ESPN.
Last September, UFC’s parent company Endeavor and the WWE announced the closing of a merger between the mixed martial arts and professional wrestling promotions to create TKO. To date, there has been some crossover between the two brands, but this will be the most significant where a UFC venue will host a WWE event.
NXT Battleground was originally penciled in for May 26 at the Enmarket Arena in Savannah, Georgia but will now relocate to Las Vegas, the home of the UFC. The reasons behind the move were not made readily available. Still, the original date was during Memorial Day weekend and running up against rival promotion AEW’s Double or Nothing pay-per-view event.
NXT Battleground is set to feature some of the biggest NXT superstars including NXT Champion Ilja Dragunov, NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez NXT North American Champion Oba Femi, NXT Tag Team Champions Axiom and Nathan Frazer, Trick Williams, Carmelo Hayes, Lyra Valkyria and more.
However, the talent featured at Battleground could change as the WWE Draft will take place starting on WWE SmackDown on April 26 and NXT talent could be moved to either Raw or SmackDown.
The UFC Apex typically hosts smaller crowds of under 500 people for Dana White’s Contender Series and UFC Fight Night events. It is unknown how many tickets will be made available for Battleground but a 2022 article by the Las Vegas Review Journal cited that the UFC applied with the Clark County Zoning Commission to add the ability to host up to 1,000 people for events along with food and alcohol service, ticket sales and a souvenir shop.
