UFC Returns to Los Angeles Arena After 20-Month Hiatus

The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced that UFC 331 will take place on Saturday, September 19, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles. The venue, formerly known as the Staples Center, will host the event for the first time in more than eight years. Tickets for the fight card go on sale Friday, August 31, through AXS.com.

No bouts have been officially confirmed for UFC 331, but rumors have circulated that a lightweight title‑contender matchup could feature Arman Tsurukyan versus former champion Charles Oliveira. The winner of that fight would likely earn a future title shot against recently crowned champion Justin Gaethje, who stunned the combat‑sports world with a decisive TKO victory over previously undefeated Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, 2026, on the South Lawn of the White House.

The last time the UFC staged an event in Southern California was UFC 311 on January 18, 2025, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The card was highlighted by Islam Makhachev defending the lightweight championship against Renato Moicano, a short‑notice substitution after Tsurukyan suffered a back injury a day before the fight. Makhachev won by first‑round submission. Four months later, he vacated the lightweight title to move up to welterweight and captured the 170‑pound belt with a unanimous decision over Jack Della Maddalena in November.

UFC has not held a fight in downtown Los Angeles since UFC 227 on August 4, 2018, when T.J. Dillashaw reclaimed the bantamweight championship with a first‑round knockout of Cody Garbrandt in the main event. Prior to that, the promotion followed a roughly three‑year cycle of hosting events at the Staples Center, which became the Crypto.com Arena in late 2021. The first of those appearances was UFC 60 on May 27, 2006, when welterweight champion Matt Hughes earned a TKO victory over Royce Gracie at a 175‑pound catchweight. That card was the top‑selling pay‑per‑view in UFC history at the time.

The Crypto.com Arena, formerly known as the Staples Center, has been a staple of Los Angeles sports and entertainment since 1999. It has hosted NBA games, NHL matches, and major concerts, and it is the home of the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Kings, and Ducks.

The Crypto.com Arena is a key venue in Los Angeles’s entertainment district, drawing large crowds for concerts, sports, and other major events. The return of UFC 331 is expected to bring additional economic activity to the area, including hospitality, retail, and transportation services. The event will feature five fights on the main card, according to preliminary reports from the promotion’s website.

Tickets for UFC 331 are available in a range of price points, with the lowest listed prices starting at $601 on secondary markets. Fans can purchase tickets directly from AXS.com, the platform that manages sales for the arena’s events. The promotion has not yet released a full fight card, so potential attendees should monitor official announcements for updates on matchups and fight order.

As the UFC prepares to bring its premier mixed‑martial‑arts event back to Los Angeles, the organization is working to confirm the lineup and finalize production details. The event is scheduled to open at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time, with preliminary bouts beginning earlier in the evening. Viewers can stream the fights live on UFC Fight Pass or watch on pay‑per‑view through the UFC’s broadcast partners.

The upcoming UFC 331 event marks a significant return for the organization to Southern California after a 20‑month break. With ticket sales already underway and the fight card still taking shape, fans and local businesses alike are anticipating the impact of the event on the city’s entertainment calendar.