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UFC knew it was going to break all sorts of new ground with its high-profile event at the Sphere in Las Vegas, and many of the final results from Saturday night’s UFC 306 confirmed exactly that.
The event, also known as Riyadh Season Noche UFC, generated $22 million in gate receipts, setting a new record for the mixed-martial-arts entity and breaking a nearly eight-year-old mark of $17.7 million set back in November 2016 with the Conor McGregor-led UFC 205. Additionally, UFC posted a new record for the biggest gate for a single date at the Sphere, and set a new mark for merchandise sales at a single UFC event.
Beyond raw numbers, though, UFC was also able to successfully stage the first live sporting event at the $2.3 billion Sphere, the James Dolan-controlled technological marvel redefining live entertainment. Dolan, the executive chair and CEO of Sphere Entertainment Co., also leads sister company Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. that owns the Knicks and NHL’s Rangers.
Nearly a year in development, UFC sought to infuse its own well-established brand with the unprecedented technological capabilities of the Sphere, particularly the 160,000-square-foot interior screen. It did so with a $20 million production budget and a central theme of recognizing Mexico’s independence from the Spanish Empire, and celebrating that country’s culture and role in the rise of combat sports.
“Literally, the whole thing was seamless. It went perfect,” said Dana White, UFC president and CEO, in a post-event press conference. “We didn’t have a lot of time to rehearse—that was our big worry coming in here—but they nailed it. … Tonight was meant to happen. We did it. We killed it.”
Defending bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley lost his belt to challenger Merab Dvalisvhili in the featured fight of UFC 306.
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