UFC announces full attendance, Conor McGregor for T-Mobile return

The UFC plans to host a full-capacity card at T-Mobile Arena in July headlined by Conor McGregor.

Tickets will go on sale this week for UFC 264 to be held on July 10, UFC president Dana White announced in a video posted on social media around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“I am so happy to finally be able to say, ‘Vegas is back.’” he said. “This summer, Las Vegas is back open for business and UFC 264 will be at T-Mobile Arena with 100 percent capacity. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s 20,000 fans.”

Governor Steve Sisolak had publicly revealed just hours earlier his expectation that Nevada would lift all statewide social distancing mandates starting May 1, with the goal of reopening the entire state to 100 percent capacity by June 1.

White, who has been hosting events at the company’s Apex facility with no fans for nearly a year, wasted little time in rolling out his announcement.

“Finally, Vegas is open again and you know you’ve been wanting a bad (expletive) weekend in Vegas,” he said.

July 10 figures to be a busy night in Las Vegas Allegiant Stadium is also scheduled to play host to a sold-out Garth Brooks concert.

On Saturday, MGM Resorts president and CEO Bill Hornbuckle made news when he said he viewed Independence Day as a target for a return to normalcy, specifically expressing optimism about full houses at Raiders’ games this season.

“I’m hoping by July Fourth weekend the community is in a place where we can just do what we normally do and have some fun,” he said.

White had previously said he hoped to put the rubber match of a trilogy between McGregor and Dustin Poirier at T-Mobile Arena in July so long as he could allow full attendance. Wednesday’s announcement made those plans official.

The UFC is expected to host the first major indoor sporting event in the United States with full attendance when UFC 261 takes place in Jacksonville, Florida, on April 24.

UFC 262 will follow in May at Toyota Center in Houston, also with no restrictions on capacity. No location has been announced for UFC 263 in June.

The Stanley Cup Final, which could potentially include the Golden Knights and T-Mobile Arena, could run as long as July 9, according to the NHL’s current 2021 schedule.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.