Hill: UFC’s Sphere debut somehow lives up to immense hype — PHOTOS
Perhaps the only thing soaring higher than last-minute ticket prices for the first live sporting event at Sphere on Saturday night were the expectations of those in attendance at the most technically advanced venue on the planet.
UFC president Dana White had done nothing to extinguish the hype, as he did a frenzied media tour over the past month vowing to anyone with a microphone or camera to deliver the greatest spectacle in sports history.
Seriously, he was already predicting Emmy, Grammy and Oscar nominations for the production. White even joked this week he was trying to figure out how to stage the event to qualify for a Tony.
There was no way UFC 306 could ever live up to the type of promises that were being made.
Yet somehow, it kind of did.
From the moment the show truly began with the beginning of the pay-per-view portion of the fight card, the live audience inside Sphere was taken on a wild ride that merged sports and entertainment on a level perhaps never seen before.
And probably never again.
It was certainly a different experience than commentator and comedian Joe Rogan’s first UFC event, which took place at the 3,100-seat Dothan Civic Center in Alabama. Or one of my first events, which was at Cox Pavilion.
That didn’t even feel like the same sport.
The incorporation of all the futuristic visual and audio capabilities available only at Sphere created the kind of experience those in attendance will never forget. But it also had to leave many wondering what on earth could be next.
White has suggested a return to Sphere isn’t terribly high on his priority list, especially after budgets soared far beyond expectations putting this one together.
It doesn’t make sense for a team sport like basketball or hockey, and it’s not even clear the layout would work anyway.
Good luck
It took the UFC nearly a year of planning, assembling an all-star production team and more than $20 million to make this happen.
Would any promoter of boxing or another similar sport try to do something here and risk looking silly and amateurish in comparison to the show the UFC put on Saturday night?
Good luck.
It was that remarkable, from the six-part movie that played between fights to the original soundtrack and the intense graphics and sound that kept people enthralled even during downtime between fights. Perhaps even more so.
The unveiling of each new graphic or video element brought a new wave of oohs and aahs that resonated through the arena. And we haven’t even touched on the haptic seats the allowed fans to feel the action in the cage.
Even during competition, the screen was part of the show, as it allowed each fight to take place in a different world.
In fact, that may have been the biggest issue. The venue and the production became the stars of the night. While that ensures fans got their (significant) money’s worth, it is still a sporting event, and the fighters deserve to have the focus on them.
But don’t expect anyone in attendance to complain about that. They were too much in awe.
Floating chicken wings
It didn’t take long in the evening to know it was going to go that way, either.
Fans and media alike were warned in advance that the overwhelming majority of the graphic and video components of the show would not really begin until the pay-per-view fights. So the preliminary card would be pretty standard fare.
The first hint of how the night was going to go was when an ad for a popular chicken joint played after the first preliminary bout.
As boneless wings seemingly floated in the air toward the audience, there was an audible gasp of awe. It wasn’t because the wings looked that good.
The show got much, much better from there. Like, a lot better.
Sure, there can be some nitpicking.
Like how was there no Mexican fighter in the main event of a card billed as a love letter to Mexican culture and its fighting spirit? Or the somewhat troubling acceptance of Riyadh Season as a title sponsor when costs began to overrun.
But it’s difficult to see the UFC’s first foray into Sphere as anything but a rousing success.
Even if we never get to experience anything like it again.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.
