The UFC Apex first opened for business in the summer of 2019 in time for season three of Dana White’s Contender Series. At launch, the Apex facility had been expected to be utilized for live broadcasts of Contender Series on ESPN+, as well as future seasons of The Ultimate Fighter television series.
The Ultimate Fighter was on hiatus from production when the UFC Apex launched in June of 2019 after the UFC’s previous United States media rights deal with FOX Sports and FOX Sports 1 expired following a seven-year term the previous December.