"When he has something up his sleeve, he doesn't just like to blurt it out" - Ariel Helwani speculates why Dana White is being "coy" about Mark Zuckerberg rumors

UFC Vegas 61 has an air of mystique around it. Dana White recently announced that the event would have neither the fans nor the media in attendance. During the press meet ahead of the card, Mackenzie Dern made headlines when she said that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has rented out the whole Apex for the upcoming Fight Night.

Watch Mackenzie Dern talk about UFC Vegas 61 being a private affair below:

In a recent episode of The MMA Hour, Ariel Helwani speculated that maybe something special was happening at this weekend's fights, and that was precisely why the UFC president was giving no clear answers about the situation:

"I was told that it had to do something with Mark Zuckerberg. Now, is he renting it out just for him?.. are they renting it out to do something? Some sort of metaverse event?... we'll see. Maybe that's why Dana White was being coy about it. You know when he has an announcement to make, you know when he has something up his sleeve he doesn't just like to blurt it out."

Watch Helwani address the matter below:

During the post-fight interview of Dana White's Contender Series week 10, when asked about why UFC Vegas 61 is closed off to the media, the UFC president jested that he wanted to give the press a night off.

Watch the full interview below:

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Dana White disputes claims of Mark Zuckerberg renting out the Apex for the UFC Vegas 61

After UFC fighter Mackenzie Dern told media that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has rented out the entire Apex for the upcoming UFC Fight Night, Dana White outright rejected the validity of the news.

In a tweet, White said:

"Mark Zuckerberg did NOT rent out the UFC Apex. That’s total bulls**t."

However, UFC Fight Pass ring announcer Christopher James' recent post differs from White's claims. In a tweet, James suggested that the Meta CEO has rented out the arena to test out their new metaverse glasses.

According to the ring announcer, the new Augmented Reality (AR) glasses are expected to provide viewers with an ultra-immersive experience of any sporting event from the safety of their home or anywhere in the world:

"According to a rumor I heard this is why: Mark Zuckerberg rented out the Apex. They are testing out the new meta glasses. You will be able to watch the fights from home and feel like you were really there."