Dana White would love to see UFC Hawaii event at new arena

Field Level Media|published: Thu 3rd September, 20:26 2026

Jul 11, 2026; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; UFC president Dana White in attendance during UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A UFC event in Hawaii could finally be on the horizon after years of Hawaiian athletes making an impact as fighters for the organization.

UFC CEO Dana White said on "The Rich Eisen Show" on Wednesday that a new arena being built in the 50th state could enable UFC to put on an event in Hawaii.

"One of our biggest markets since day one has been Hawaii and we've still never put on an event in Hawaii," White said. "We've had multiple world champions from Hawaii. The infrastructure there can't support a UFC event. But now they're building a new arena there. Supposed to be done in (2028 or 2029)."

The New Aloha Stadium being built in Halawa, Oahu, will have 31,000 seats for Hawaii football. The projected date for completion is March 2029.

Former UFC champions Max Holloway and B.J. Penn are Hawaii natives, as is former UFC heavyweight Travis Browne.

White believes a UFC event in Hawaii would be a hot ticket, especially given how long the promotion has been unable to put on an event there.

"I like destinations where people (want to go). When we do UFC Hawaii, people will lose their minds," White said. "Who doesn't want to go to UFC Hawaii? And every staff member I have working is going to want to work that event."

--Field Level Media