Orlando sports commission seeking millions to bring in TKO events

[Chris]

https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2025/03/24/wwe-ufc-events-central-florida.html

The Greater Orlando Sports Commission is making an effort to draw World Wrestling Entertainment and Ultimate Fighting Championship events to the region.

The organization on March 24 had its request for an $18 million grant over a multi-year period in tourist development tax funds advanced by the Tourist Development Tax Sports Incentive Committee. The funding request will go before the county next.

The commission would use the money as a bid fee to draw four events from TKO Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: TKO), which was created after the completed merger of WWE and UFC's parent company in 2023.

Jason Siegel, president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, said the effort has come from nearly two years of conversations and as other sports commissions such as Indianapolis have been awarded three events at once.

Events it would seek to draw include:

• In 2026: Either WWE's Survivor Series in November or Saturday Night's Main Event in December at Kia Center.
• In 2027: a pay-per-view with UFC in August or September at Kia Center.
• In 2028: WWE's Royal Rumble at Camping World Stadium in February 2028.
• In 2031: Host WWE's WrestleMania in mid to late April, with Camping World Stadium serving as the main venue and Kia Center also hosting events during WrestleMania week. The WrestleMania event itself will be two nights, as well as arena shows for Raw and SmackDown during the week.

The series would bring a projected total of 300,000 attendees, 120,000 room nights and more than $225 million in economic impact.

"It's a winner and a great opportunity for our destination all around," Siegel said.

The commission previously bid for one year of WrestleMania between 2021 and 2025, the 2020 and 2022 Survivor Series and the 2024 Royal Rumble, which it did not win before. The final breakdown of funds used per year would be subject to consideration by the Orange County Commission sometime in mid to late April.

The WWE Performance Center is based in Orlando and the promotion has previously hosted several events in the city at Camping World Stadium and the Kia Center, including WrestleMania XXIV in 2008, the 2016 Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 33 in 2017. It also was one of three cities in Florida that hosted the WWE ThunderDome during the Covid-19 pandemic, along with Tropicana Field and the Yuengling Center, which included several pay-per-view events including WrestleMania 36 which had been slated to be in Tampa.

Orlando last hosted a UFC event in 2022, with more than 17,065 in attendance at the Kia Center, and has hosted four total UFC events in the city.