SPEAKER IN THE OCTAGON: Mike Johnson Packs Meta Apex for Buck, O’Donnell Rally

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — House Speaker Mike Johnson stepped inside one of the most recognizable fighting venues in Las Vegas Tuesday night, rallying hundreds of Nevada Republicans behind congressional candidates Carrie Buck and Marty O’Donnell as the battle for control of the U.S. House enters its final two weeks.

More than 350 people attended the Get Out the Vote rally at the UFC Apex, now known as the Meta Apex, according to organizers. The Las Vegas Review-Journal independently reported that “hundreds of Nevadans” packed the TKO Group-owned facility for the event. 

And Johnson appeared to enjoy the unusual venue.

Standing inside the UFC Octagon, the Louisiana Republican joked about just how cool it was to be delivering a political speech from inside the cage usually reserved for UFC fighters.

But Johnson quickly turned to the stakes of the November election, telling the crowd that a relatively small collection of competitive House districts could determine who controls Congress.

“Everybody will be watching the outcome of about 22 seats to determine which party holds the majority,” Johnson said, arguing that Nevada voters could play an outsized role in deciding control of the chamber. 

Two of those Nevada contests were represented inside the Octagon.

Buck, a state senator and former teacher and principal, is challenging Democrat Rep. Dina Titus in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District. O’Donnell, the composer behind music for the Halo video game franchise, is challenging Democrat Rep. Susie Lee in the 3rd District. 

Buck used her remarks to thank Johnson for coming to Nevada and to highlight the Republican tax package passed in Washington.

“Thank you for fighting to deliver No Tax on Tips, No Tax on Overtime, and historic tax relief for hardworking Nevada families,” Buck told the crowd.

Buck then contrasted her record with Titus, accusing the longtime congresswoman of opposing Republican-backed tax provisions and revisiting one of the campaign’s most persistent attacks: Titus’ past comments supporting a higher federal gasoline tax.

“More money at the pump. Less money in your pocket. That’s the Dina Titus record,” Buck said.

Titus has previously supported temporary federal gas-tax relief and has argued that Republican tax legislation favors wealthier Americans, while Republicans have repeatedly pointed to her earlier support for raising gasoline taxes. The competing claims have become a major theme of the 1st District campaign.

O’Donnell said, “You people here are the firewall because that conflagration is going to come to the United States. It’s already in Europe and it’s the Islamists and it’s the Marxists and they don’t care about the West. They want chaos. They want revolution, and it will happen here.”

The rally comes after Nevada began its two-week early voting period on Saturday. Democrats have cast roughly 12,700 more ballots than Republicans in Clark County. 

Johnson’s Las Vegas appearance is part of a nationwide campaign swing aimed at protecting the Republican House majority, but Tuesday night delivered a distinctly Nevada visual.

The Speaker of the House, two Republican congressional candidates and more than 350 supporters, all gathered inside the Octagon for the closing-round fight of the 2026 midterms.

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