The Sphere is the hottest new property in Las Vegas — but its potential to impact professional sports has been relatively unknown thus far. That’s about to change.
UFC president Dana White said that the MMA outfit has booked the Sphere to host a fight in September 2024, marking the first live sporting event to be scheduled for the venue.
The NHL is reportedly exploring hosting a draft at the venue, but no formal plans have been announced.
“We are already working on the creative for the show,” White said on Saturday after UFC 295 in New York at Madison Square Garden. The Sphere cost $2.3 billion to build but it lost nearly $100 million in its first quarter of operation.
“Everybody keeps saying to me, ‘I don’t understand how you’re going to put the Octagon in there,’” White noted, before reiterating his plan to use the Sphere to put on the greatest live combat sporting event ever.
The Sphere can host nearly 20,000 fans. So far, it has hosted a run of sold-out U2 concerts and offers tours and fan experiences most days. White did not give any indication as to who would fight at the Sphere.
