Halloween SmackDown, WWE Saturday Night’s Main Event & UFC PPV Coming To Salt Lake City

By
Matt Boone
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TKO issued the following:

TKO, UTAH SPORTS COMMISSION, AND SMITH ENTERTAINMENT GROUP ANNOUNCE AGREEMENT TO BRING NEXT PHASE OF WWE AND UFC EVENTS TO SALT LAKE CITY

WWE to Take Over Delta Center with Friday Night SmackDown & Saturday Night’s Main Event in Salt Lake City This Fall

UFC to Return to Utah in 2026 with a Blockbuster Numbered Event

SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, Aug. 26, 2025 – TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), together with the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group, today announced an agreement to bring three highly anticipated WWE and UFC events to Delta Center in Salt Lake City through 2026.

This move builds upon the relationship TKO, the Utah Sports Commission, and Smith Entertainment Group have forged in recent years collectively hosting three incredibly successful, sold out UFC numbered events at Delta Center – UFC 278: USMAN vs. EDWARDS 2 in 2022, UFC 291: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE 2 in 2023, and UFC 307: PEREIRA vs. ROUNTREE JR in 2024 – which all delivered substantial economic benefit, generating a total economic impact of $74.1 million for the Salt Lake City region, according to research firm Applied Analysis.

“We can’t say enough about how great partners and hosts the Utah Sports Commission and Smith Entertainment Group have been for our events,” said Peter Dropick, Executive Vice President, Event Development and Operations for TKO. “In recent years, Salt Lake City and Delta Center have become a top destination to bring exciting, action-packed UFC and WWE events to our fans in Utah, and we’re thrilled to continue that relationship into 2026.”

“Our expanded partnership with TKO and Smith Entertainment Group offers yet another opportunity to position Utah as a premier destination for key global sports and entertainment events,” said Jeff Robbins, president and CEO of the Utah Sports Commission. “Our ability to welcome a major WWE event in 2025 and the UFC again in 2026 is a tribute to our growing sports and entertainment ecosystem in Utah, the State of Sport.”

“We are thrilled that live WWE entertainment and UFC action will return to Utah,” said Chris Barney, president of revenue and commercial strategy at Smith Entertainment Group. “Every TKO event Delta Center has hosted has captivated fans and brought people from across the country into Salt Lake City, creating opportunities to showcase Utah’s world class sports and entertainment landscape. We value our continued collaboration with TKO and the Utah Sports Commission and look forward to setting new records together when these incredible experiences take over Delta Center.”

WWE will take over Delta Center across back-to-back nights this fall, starting with Friday Night SmackDown on October 31. Saturday Night’s Main Event will follow on November 1, with the event streaming live and exclusively on Peacock at 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT. WWE’s rich history of events in Salt Lake City includes hosting Raw and SmackDown annually, with several of the biggest WWE Superstars having competed there including Cody Rhodes, Seth “Freakin” Rollins, Rhea Ripley, Becky Lynch, and others. Combo tickets will go on sale starting Friday, September 5, at 10am MST via SeatGeek.com. Presale for combo tickets will begin Wednesday, September 3 at 10am MST. Fans can register now to receive an exclusive presale offer by visiting: www.wwe.com/wweslc2025.

Following the 2025 WWE events, UFC will return to Delta Center in 2026 with a signature numbered event. UFC currently holds the top three spots for the highest-grossing events in Delta Center history. In 2022, UFC® 278: USMAN vs. EDWARDS 2 broke the live event gate record for Delta Center and attracted a crowd of 18,321. In 2023, UFC® 291: POIRIER vs. GAETHJE 2 once again set a new gate record and attracted 18,467 fans. Most recently, UFC® 307: PEREIRA vs. ROUNTREE JR in October 2024 drew more than 17,400 fans and recorded the second-highest grossing event ever at Delta Center behind UFC 291.

Details for all three upcoming WWE and UFC events at Delta Center, including ticket on-sale dates, bout cards, and participating WWE Superstars, will be announced at a later date.

VIP Experience packages will also be available via On Location, TKO’s Official VIP Experience Provider. These exclusive packages offer premium seating, VIP access to events, all-inclusive hospitality, meet-and-greets with athletes, and more. Additional information will be made available at https://onlocationexp.com/SLC.

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About TKO
TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.

About Utah Sports Commission
The Utah Sports Commission was created to be a catalyst for Utah in its sport and Olympic legacy efforts and to help enhance Utah’s economy, image, and quality of life through the attraction, promotion, and development of national and international sports. Since the 2002 Olympics and Paralympics, the Utah Sports Commission has attracted over 1100 major events to the state. The Sports Commission works closely with communities, sports entities, and organizations to provide event services ranging from the bid process, on-site logistics, volunteer coordination, sponsorships and promotional opportunities, and other related services. It is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 charitable organization and 501(c)6 Utah Sports Commission Foundation governed by an all-volunteer Board of Trustees consisting of statewide sports, business, community, and government leaders. For more information, visit UtahSportsCommission.com or follow @stateofsport on social media.

About Smith Entertainment Group
Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) is a sports, entertainment, real estate, and technology investment group focused primarily on the state of Utah. SEG’s portfolio includes the Utah Jazz (NBA), Utah Mammoth (NHL), Delta Center, SEG Media, The Shops at South Town, Salt Lake City Stars (NBA G League), Utah Jazz Gaming (NBA 2K League), and other Utah-centric business ventures.

About Delta Center
Home of the Utah Jazz and Utah Mammoth, Delta Center is the region’s premier sports and entertainment venue, located in downtown Salt Lake City. Each year, Delta Center welcomes more than 1.8 million guests and hosts more than 320 days of electrifying sports and entertainment events ranging from NBA and NHL games to performances by world-renowned musicians and entertainers and other large-scale sporting competitions. In April 2025, Delta Center launched a multi-year, inside-out renovation process to transform into a state-of-the-art, dual-sport venue and anchor Utah’s NBA and NHL franchises in downtown Salt Lake City. When renovations are complete, capacity will grow from 11,131 to approximately 17,000 for NHL games, from 18,206 to nearly 19,000 for NBA games, and from 13,989 to up to 19,000 for concerts and events. Since its debut in 1991, Delta Center has hosted the 2023 and 1993 NBA All-Star weekends, 2002 Olympic Winter Games, NCAA men’s basketball tournament, and two NBA Finals. For more information about Delta Center, an entity of Smith Entertainment Group, visit www.deltacenter.com.

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