WrestleMania 41 hasn’t warmed Dana White up to stadium shows: ‘Nothing will change my mind’

The UFC CEO is still stubbornly refusing to hold combat sports events inside stadiums, despite the success of WrestleMania’s two-night run at Allegiant Stadium.

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Dana White got an up close and personal stadium experience at WrestleMania 41, but it hasn’t changed his mind about holding events at larger venues.

For years, White has been aggravatingly shut off to the idea of UFC stadium shows. Over all the years the UFC has been around, the promotion has only held four full-sized stadium events. And despite sister-company WWE holding a two-night spectacular inside the 64,000 seat Allegiant Stadium — and Dana White being front row for the event — he’s no warmer on the idea than he was before.

“No, okay? No.” he said simply when asked if WrestleMania changed his mind on stadiums at the UFC Kansas City post-fight press conference. “Nothing will change my mind about a stadium show. I mean, you guys were here tonight. Kansas City is an awesome city. The people here are great. I really like this town. And, the energy in that place was awesome all night. That’s the energy you get in an [arena].”

“Not that there wasn’t [energy at WrestleMania,” he added. “Listen. When you have 63,000 people there, you’re gonna get some energy, like they did. But I am not a fan of stadiums. I like arenas.”

Normally we’re not too bothered by White’s stadium-averse nature. But now we have two big fights that need to happen and they both require a stadium. First, there’s Ilia Topuria’s homecoming in Spain, which should happen at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. And then there’s Conor McGregor’s return, which “The Notorious” says will only happen at a stadium.

For Topuria, the stadium sorts out that small issue the UFC claims they have with Spain in that the country barely has any 20,000 seat arenas. For McGregor, he wants his return to be an event of fitting size and celebration. And as we’ve seen with Eubank Jr. vs. Benn this weekend from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, combat sports are awesome in stadiums.

Personal preference is one thing, but this refusal to ever hold an event at a stadium, even when it would solve a lot of problems and make an extra 43,000 fans happy? We just don’t get it.