Keeping a spectacle in mind, the UFC is heading to the Sphere in Las Vegas in September to put on the first live sporting event at the venue. And after spending $17 million on the venue, Dana White thinks it will be the greatest live sporting event put on by anyone in sports period.
For the uninitiated, The Sphere is a revolutionary venue in the heart of Las Vegas, the fight capital of the world. An estimated $2.3 billion was spent on its construction.
With its ground-breaking 160,000-square-foot LED display, The Sphere is the biggest LED screen globally.
It provides an immersive experience for concerts, shows, and other events, with 17,500 seats.
White recently joined Pat McAfee on his show where the host asked him about the upcoming card at the Sphere and if he had any updates about the same. White said:
“Yeah we’re deep into it. The Sphere is the star of the show and I was blown away the first time that I saw it. I’m like I am doing this, I am going to be the first guy to ever do a live sporting event from the Sphere. I’m already $17M into this thing and we’re not anywhere near September yet. I say I am going to put on the greatest live sporting event in the history of combat sports.”
“The Sphere is the star of the show and I was blown away the first time that I saw it..
I’m already $17M into this thing and we’re not anywhere near September yet..
I’m gonna put on this greatest live sporting event in the history of combat sports” ~ @danawhite#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/4nSqMxqVAP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 15, 2024
White also stated that no other sport would invest the kind of money he is investing for a one time event.
This is why White’s promise of putting on the greatest live sporting event does not seem too far-fetched. Although he did compare PowerSlap to NFL and NBA, so there are some doubts!
UFC’s once-in-a-lifetime event is missing a few key pieces
White stated in the interview that the card will have 10 fights including a co-main as well as main event. While some fights have been announced so far, the main and co-main events have not been announced.
While there have been rumors of BMF champion Max Holloway fighting Ilia Topuria for the featherweight title and Merab Dvalishvili fighting ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title, journalist Ariel Helwani doesn’t believe Dana White will put all his apples in one basket on the Mexican Independence Day!
Ariel Helwani denies the rumours of Topuria vs Holloway and O’Malley vs Merab both being on the Sphere card.
He says the current plan for the Sphere is:
O’Malley vs Merab
Alexa Grasso title defenseAnd the plan for Utah in October is:
Topuria vs Holloway
Pennington vs Peña… pic.twitter.com/pBuPIdRmzQ— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 15, 2024
Also, for a long time, it was rumored that Conor McGregor would headline the card given the significance of the event.
However, according to Ariel Helwani, the UFC is targeting a main event between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili with Alex Grasso title defense as the co-main event.
