Following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement this week that the statewide mask mandate has been lifted, several sports organizations are already considering returns to the Lone Star State. And, according to one sports executive, a large-scale return could happen for one organization later this month.

This week, UFC President Dana White said he is planning to bring his organization to Texas to help reopen the state following the lifting of the mask mandate. White said following Abbott’s announcement, he began making calls and is looking at Houston as a possible site for a UFC event.

“Yes, as soon as the governor of Texas said that, I called,” White said during a press conference. “Dallas said ‘no’ and I’m working on Houston. We’ll see if we can get Houston done.”

White also said he believes the UFC can sell out their return to Texas, with a possible time frame of bringing an event to the state within the next two to three weeks. White later said that UFC 260, an upcoming pay-per-view event planned for this month, could be brought to Texas. That event is set to be headlined by a heavyweight title collision between reigning champion Stipe Miocic and top contender Francis Ngannou.

With crowds in attendance, this would be the first event with a live audience held by the UFC since UFC 248 last March.

However, the UFC would not be the first major sporting organization to host an event in Texas since the start of the pandemic. Several major boxing matches have taken place in the Lone Star State during the pandemic, including title fights between Errol Spence and Danny Garcia and Canelo Alvarez and Callum Smith last year.