Viva Las Vegas? Dana White sure thinks so.
On Saturday night, UFC 306, a first-of-its-kind, pay-per-view event orchestrated by the UFC president, will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas to honor Mexican Independence Day and the Riyadh Season.
Billed as the largest spherical structure in the world and located in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip, the Sphere will house a main event featuring Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvilli, a marquee bantamweight bout for the undisputed championship of the world.
O’Malley is looking to defend his title successfully for the second time, after defeating Marlon Chito Vera in his first defense.
In the co-main event, women’s flyweight champion Alexa Grasso looks to defend the belt for a second time against former champion Valentina Shevchenko. These two women have gone head-to-head two times, with Grasso ending the dominant reign Shevchenko held over the division for three years and seven title defenses.
While mixed martial arts fans are not new to watching a stacked PPV card, this event will be a new venture for the UFC. As White’s company aims to honor and bring awareness to Mexican Independence Day and Riyadh season, it will do so with a movie explaining the history of both holidays.
“This movie that I’m talking about and these chapters tell the history of combat sports in Mexico, the history of the Mexican people, their traditions,” White said this week in promotional materials published by UFC. “It is what I call ‘The Love Letter to Mexico.'”
The Sphere — which hasn’t housed a competitive sporting event in its six-year history, though it did open its doors to the NHL Draft in June — allows the UFC to experiment with a new way to make fight nights even more unforgettable.
With how successful White’s events traditionally are — UFC sellouts are commonplace, including a Miami card in March that was witnessed by 19,165 people at Kaseya Center — fight fans are interested in seeing how the Sphere will add or take away from the fight-watching experience. However, the most loyal supporters are not the only ones curious about how the event will turn out.
“It’s going to be a little bit different for us as the fighters, like when you are fighting with the screens and TVs, but I’m OK because it’s going to be the same thing for my opponent,” Dvalishvilli said. “For fans, it will be crazy.”
Grasso also had plenty to say about the event being held in the Sphere, praising the venue as she aims to bring her belt back to Mexico for the third time.
“I think the experience is going to be huge because I’ve been there,” she said. “I went to watch a show, and it’s amazing. It’s breathtaking. Now, knowing there will be MMA fights in there with that experience, with those images, it’s huge. It gives me chills. It’s amazing.”
Even with all of the excitement surrounding the event, controversy struck when the plan was brought to the public. After the event was announced, fight fans around the world questioned the decision to host such an important event outside of the country it was honoring.
Although nearly every fight on Saturday’s card has at least one Mexican fighter in it, the choice to hold a Mexican Independence Day event outside of Mexico had fans tilting their heads. A similar curiosity struck fans when UFC 305, another PPV event, was announced to be held in Perth, Australia, instead of Miami, a city famous for its “305” area code.
While these critiques are likely not going to break down the UFC or steer viewers away from watching, it is important to acknowledge what fans believe will nourish the sport, making it better for everyone involved.
The bottom line is that UFC 306 is a must-watch event for MMA followers, new and old. But it won’t be cheap. Available on ESPN+ PPV, the card will run $79.99 for current subscribers of the service, while new subscribers will be able to pay $134.98 for UFC 306 and a one-year deal for ESPN+’s main package, which includes other UFC content. For those hoping to secure a seat inside the Sphere, as of Monday night, tickets start at $1,665 each on the StubHub secondary marketplace app.
Expensive or not, this new concept will bring a sense of refreshment to the sport and will provide hardcore viewers with something unique to look forward to. Two title defenses, a stacked preliminary card, and a deep dive into the history of one of MMA’s strongest cultures should make this event one that encapsulates what the UFC is all about.
