When it comes to high-stakes events, especially in the bustling cities of Las Vegas and New York, where fighters stay can play a crucial role in their performance.
Accommodation choices aren’t just about luxury; they’re about proximity to venues, training facilities, and the overall convenience that can make or break fight week.
In this article, we look at where UFC fighters stay in Vegas and New York.
Where Do UFC Fighters Stay in Vegas?
When fighting at an event in Vegas, UFC fighters most often stay at the New York New York Hotel, Park MGM, or MGM Grand.
They stay at one of these hotels because they’re no more than a 10-minute walk from the T-Mobile Arena, which is commonly where Las Vegas UFC events are held.
Evidence of this is how many UFC fighters have been seen staying at the New York New York Hotel on UFC Embedded.
The 2 venue locations in Las Vegas are the UFC Apex (6650 El Camino Rd, Las Vegas) and the T-Mobile Arena (3780 S Las Vegas Blvd), which are a 12-minute drive apart.
As seen from the image below, most hotels are around the T-Mobile Arena (the northern blue point), while there’s none around the UFC Apex (southwestern blue point).
This includes the Wynn Las Vegas, Palms Casino Resort, The Orleans, The Venetian, and just to the right of the T-Mobile Arena, the New York New York Hotel, Park MGM, and MGM Grand.
There are many other hotels around, but these are the notable ones.
It’s also possible that UFC fighters are staying at cheaper options in Las Vegas. This includes the Holiday Inn or Residence Inn, which are also walkable (20 minutes) from the T-Mobile Arena.
Staying around this area local to the T-Mobile Arena or closer to the UFC Apex is useful for UFC fighters, as next to the UFC Apex is the UFC Performance Institute.
The UFC PI is where the fighters can spend fight week preparing for their upcoming fight. They have everything they need there and they’ll even be given weight-cutting meals.
Overall, the hotel UFC fighters stay at in Vegas likely isn’t the same every time. However, they mostly stay around the T-Mobile Arena location as it’s close to the event and they’re also a 12-minute drive from the UFC Apex and the UFC Performance Institute.
UFC fighters can stay elsewhere in Vegas if they pay for their hotel room for the week, but most stay where the UFC books.
This is because the UFC pays for a fighter to have 1 hotel room, which they can share with 2 teammates.
It was said in 2021 that the UFC was set to build a hotel for the fighters, but this hasn’t materialized.
Where Do UFC Fighters Stay in New York?
When fighting at an event in New York, UFC fighters stay at a hotel close to Madison Square Garden, found at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001.
Some of the most likely hotels that UFC fighters stay at in New York are the New Yorker Hotel, Moxy NYC Times Square, or the Holiday Inn Express New York City.
The UFC only goes to New York once or twice per year, and when they do they mostly go to Madison Square Garden.
4 out of 5 of the last events in New York have been held at Madison Square Garden, running back to 2019.
As seen from the image below, there are plenty of hotel options for the UFC to book for its fighters. Madison Square Garden is the blue circle just to the left of the center.
Staying at any of the hotels around MSG gives UFC fighters the ability to go to Radical MMA or Ronin Athletics – Gracie Jiu Jitsu, MMA, during fight week.
As seen from the image below, Ronin Athletics is further away from MSG, and it’s only a 20-minute walk.