UFC in 2024: Dana White and the rest of the promotion prepare for industry-defining months ahead

2024 could be one of the most important years in UFC’s history. The promotion produced an all-time classic UFC 300 card and welcomed new champions from around the globe, but the year will likely be defined by what’s to come.

UFC president Dana White promises an unrivaled sporting spectacle on Mexican Independence Day weekend as The Sphere in Las Vegas looks to overshadow a crossroads moment in mixed martial arts. The UFC will go to trial in an industry-defining antitrust lawsuit while the promotion prepares for a major media rights deal in 2025.

From a landscape-altering trial to big fights on the horizon, let’s examine what’s in store for UFC and MMA in the next four months.

UFC laces up the gloves in court

Excitement over UFC fighter reform fizzled after the promotion settled a pair of class action antitrust lawsuits in March. Judge Richard Boulware’s denial of the settlements and an upcoming trial have caused more uneasiness than enthusiasm. The judge denied a joint $335 million settlement, suggesting the UFC’s payout was too light in Le vs. Zuffa and lacked significant changes to UFC’s restrictive contracts in Johnson vs. Zuffa. The fighters will get nothing if a unanimous jury ruling favors the UFC. The promotion — which regularly touts record profits — risks paying billions and changing their contract structure if the athletes win their case.  A tentative trial date for the Le vs. Zuffa case is set for Oct. 28.

White promises one-of-a-kind spectacle

Speaking of money, the UFC is pouring millions into what they claim is a one-time-only show at The Sphere in Las Vegas. The Mexican Independence Day card, dubbed both UFC 306 and Noche UFC, takes 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 poured $17 million into the event nearly three months out from the card.

“When I get you guys in and walk you through what we’re doing,” White said. “The amount of Oscars, Emmys, Grammys that the team we’ve assembled to pull this thing off. There will be a director who will just be filming the inside of the Sphere to make people feel like they’re there.

“What we are going to attempt to pull off will never, ever be replicated. Nobody will ever do it again. It won’t make sense to try because it costs too much money. It will be one of the greatest things you’ve ever seen live in the arena, and we’re going to try to pull off one of the greatest things you’ve ever seen on TV, too.”

UFC 306 features bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, a trilogy fight between women’s bantamweight queen Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, plus a retread of a fight that never happened at UFC 303 between Brian Ortega and Diego Lopes.

The astronomical cost of The Sphere card spurred 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, leading to an interesting wrinkle brought up later at the UFC 303 press conference.

Francis Ngannou’s MMA return

While not technically a UFC story, it’s worth noting that former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou returns to MMA for the first time since his January 2022 title defense against Ciryl Gane at UFC 270. Ngannou takes on multi-time PFL champion Renan Ferreira on Oct. 19 in his PFL debut.

UFC’s slightly softened stance on Ngannou makes the fight more intriguing. White has been staunchly opposed to co-promoting with other organizations since Ngannou willingly left the UFC and vacated his title to sign with PFL. Turki Alalshikh, Saudi Arabia’s chairman of the general entertainment authority, successfully united various boxing promotors to deliver long-awaited fights like Oleksandr Usyk vs. Tyson Fury. White danced around the subject when CBS Sports asked if Riyadh Season’s involvement could spur co-promotion for an Ngannou fight. White’s response was non-committal but far less defensive than White’s previous takes on the matter.

“We have actually formed a relationship over the last couple of months,” White said. “I respect what [Alalshikh] has done with boxing. This is the only guy that could pull this off and make these big fights. And the fights are good, you don’t have guys coming in and avoiding fights so they can get to the next payday.

“What this guy has done in a short amount of time is pretty incredible, so we’re obviously talking about lots of different options with this guy. I respect him. I like him, so we will see what the future holds.”

White might be minding his tongue with Riyadh Season helping fund UFC 306, but a reported $20 million site fee for UFC’s June 22 card in Saudi Arabia and another Saudi card expected in 2025 means the UFC and Saudi Arabia are going to be in business together for a while. Of course, any lingering interest in an Ngannou crossover fight requires him to beat Ferreira first.

Big fights on the horizon

The UFC has no shortage of major fights planned over the next few months. First up is UFC 305 on Aug. 17, headlined by UFC middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis vs. Israel Adesanya. Bad blood has brewed between the two for years, dating back to Adesanya’s time as champion.

The promotion returns to PPV on Sept. 14 for the aforementioned Sphere card. While little is known about UFC 307 so far, UFC 308 looks terrific. Spain’s Ilia Topuria makes his first featherweight title defense against beloved multi-champion and current BMF titleholder Max Holloway on Oct. 26. UFC 308 is bolstered by a middleweight title eliminator pitting Robert Whittaker against Khamzat Chimaev, a fight previously scheduled for June 22.

It hasn’t been announced, but expectations are that UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic will headline a November PPV at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The fight will interest fans for either the legacy involved or for the implications involved for interim heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall. 

Fans shouldn’t hold their breath, but Conor McGregor recently claimed that a Michael Chandler fight was in discussion for December after pulling out after their June headliner. Take that with a grain of salt.