Backstage Update On UFC Involvement At NXT Battleground

What role will UFC have to play at NXT Battleground this weekend?

by Andrew Pollard
Lola Vice
WWE

With NXT Battleground taking place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas this Sunday, there's now somewhat of an update on how any UFC presence may be felt.

Via Fightful Select, there was a pitch made for the UFC Octagon to be used at Battleground. However, it's unlikely that the Octagon will be featured due to the logistical issues that would cause in a production sense.

While the famed Octagon itself seems like it won't have a role to play at Battleground, that's not the case for the wider UFC, with Fighftul noting how Battleground is expected to have a "heavy UFC presence". Whether that's just in a literal sense in terms of branding, or whether that's by having certain UFC names appear at the show, that all remains to be seen. Of course, this past week's NXT saw various UFC alumni appear - including Josh Barnett - as part of the hype video for Shayna Baszler vs. Lola Vice in an NXT Underground fight.

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Elsewhere at Battlegrounded, Trick Williams defends the NXT Title against the brand's latest signing, 'All Ego' Ethan Page; TNA Knockouts Champion Jordynne Grace challenges Roxanne Perez for the NXT Women's Championship; Wes Lee and Joe Coffey face off with NXT North American Champion Oba Femi in a triple-threat contest; Axiom and Nathan Frazer put the NXT Tag Team Titles on the line against Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows; and Sol Ruca, Michin, Lash Legend, Fallon Henley, Jaida Parker, and Kelani Jordan compete in a ladder match to crown the inaugural NXT Women's North American Champion.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.