“Dana White is in the live event business” - Jon Anik speculates whether UFC would hold Jon Jones’ next fight at Allegiant Stadium

Jon Anik recently weighed in on the likelihood of Dana White hosting Jon Jones’ next fight at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. After 'Bones' secured a third-round TKO victory over Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 to defend his heavyweight title, the prospect of a title unification bout against interim champion Tom Aspinall has gained even more momentum, especially with the UFC CEO expressing strong interest in making this matchup happen.

With the buzz surrounding the potential Jones vs. Aspinall clash, a fraction of the MMA community is rallying for the UFC to elevate the spectacle by staging the matchup in a high-capacity stadium.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Anik was asked if the UFC would consider staging the bout at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders. The UFC play-by-play commentator explained that the promotion prioritizes delivering a memorable experience for fans, something that would be difficult to achieve in an open, jam-packed stadium:

"There are a lot of issues with a stadium show. How do you make it a good experience for 70,000-plus [people]? You can't just be in the record-breaking business. Dana White is in the live event business, and promotionally or otherwise, when I talk to people who have never been to a UFC live event, and they want to maybe get into it, you have to make sure that experience is incredible. So certainly, I wouldn't put it past our live production team to get this done and make it aesthetically pleasing to every individual."

Check out Jon Anik's comments below (5:15):

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When Dana White downplayed the idea of Allegiant Stadium for UFC events to come

Dana White has long been opposed to hosting UFC events in open-roof stadiums. While the promotion has held several stadium events in locations like Toronto and Brazil, organizing such shows in the United States or the United Kingdom remains a rare occurrence.

During an interview with Grind City Media in September, White was asked if he had considered bringing the UFC to Allegiant Stadium in the near future. The UFC CEO swiftly dismissed the idea, elaborating that his aversion to stadium events extends well beyond weather-related issues:

"It’s not that I get worried. I don’t want to take the experience away from people. We’ve done stadiums before. It’s just not my favorite thing. I like arenas. Yeah, I really like arenas. I think that fans get much — what I care about every Saturday, whether you stayed home and watched it on TV or you came to the venue and watched it."

Check out Dana White's comments below (12:40):