White: UFC planning return to Seattle, Oregon in 2020

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Good news for fight fans in the Pacific Northwest, as well as the Bay Area.

The Pacific Northwest has been home to some of MMA’s top names over the years — notably Demetrious Johnson, Benson Henderson, Chael Sonnen, Nate Marquardt, and really the whole of Team Quest’s Portland branch — yet the UFC has seldom held shows in this part of the United States. At least in 2020, that won’t be the case.

In an interview with 710 ESPN Seattle’s Bob Stelton on the Get in the Cage podcast, Dana White revealed the promotion’s plans to bring the Octagon to the state of Washington and Oregon.

“We’ll be back in Seattle this year,” White said. “We’re also going up to Oregon this year, we’re going to San Francisco this year, so we’re starting to creep our way up North... (the) Northwest this year.”

The UFC has not been to Seattle since 2013, when Demetrious Johnson beat John Moraga to successfully defend his flyweight title. Considering Seattle’s old KeyArena is a thing of the past and they are building a new venue for the city’s NHL team, this card will not be in Seattle proper. Other options include Kent, Tacoma, and the Seattle suburb of Everett, which hosted a Strikeforce event way back in 2010.

Oregon does not have too many major venues, but the Moda Center in Portland did have UFC 102 in 2009 and a Fight Night card in 2016. The Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene is another option.

As for San Francisco, which isn’t in the Pacific Northwest, they have never had a UFC event before. There were talks of the UFC going to the newly opened Chase Center last October, only for Joanna Jedrzejczyk vs. Michelle Waterson to move to Tampa.

White did not disclose the dates or any other details for these events, but if you’re a UFC fan and want to catch a card in-person in the PNW or in the San Francisco Bay Area, it looks like you’ll get a chance to do so at some point very soon.