Sphere, Mexican culture take center stage Saturday at UFC 306

UFC president Dana White’s concept of UFC 306 began as what he referred to as a love letter to Mexico’s people and their fighting spirit.

That’s still the overriding theme, but Riyadh Season Noche UFC is far more likely to be remembered for the audacious setting.

“This will be one of the biggest sporting events of all time,” White said of hosting the first live sporting event Saturday at Sphere. “What we’re going to pull off at Sphere will never be done again.”

The fact that the UFC took on a title sponsor for an individual pay-per-view event for the first time alone is a glimpse at the amount of resources sunk into putting on a spectacle like no other in sports history.

But the details are staggering for the Mexican Independence Day weekend event.

The world’s highest resolution LED display and most advanced audio system will be integrated in the event to create different worlds for each of the five fights on the main card. It also will be the first time haptic seats are incorporated into the event, meaning the production team is capable of triggering motion effects so spectators can feel things such as big punches or slams.

The event isn’t limited to what’s going on inside Sphere because there are plans to incorporate the Exosphere throughout the night with things such as stats and highlights.

Once the pay-per-view portion of the card begins at 7 p.m., the show becomes an entertainment spectacle with a six-part movie set to play in 90-second increments between the bouts on the massive interior screen.

Each portion of the film, co-produced by Emmy Award-winning Nexus Studios, will be focused on a different period of Mexican history and its impact on the culture.

“It’s the first time that entertainment and sports truly come together,” White said.

Two title fights on card

Oh, yeah, it’s still a sporting event.

The card features two title bouts, including bantamweight Sean O’Malley defending his belt against top contender Merab Dvalishvili.

O’Malley’s look and personality have made him one of the sport’s biggest stars. It doesn’t hurt that he has a pleasing style that saw him knock out six straight UFC opponents on his way up the ranks.

He knows this is the kind of platform that could take him to a new stratosphere in terms of popularity.

“This is what I wanted,” he said. “Even when Sphere wasn’t a thing, I wanted a one-of-a-kind moment. This is it.”

Women’s champion grateful

The card is hailed as a celebration of the Mexican culture with many natives on the undercard and in preliminary bouts, but only one of the four fighters competing for a title is Mexican.

That honor goes to women’s flyweight champ Alexa Grasso, who doesn’t take it for granted.

“It means so much to me,” she said. “It’s been a lot of years working super hard for me and many others for Mexico to be recognized and to have Mexican born and raised champions.”

The fight is a chance to put the rivalry with former champ Valentina Shevchenko behind her.

Grasso stunned Shevchenko with a submission victory to take the belt in March 2023 before granting her a rematch in September 2023.

That fight ended in a controversial split draw with both sides claiming victory but Grasso retaining the belt. Then the two served as opposing coaches on “The Ultimate Fighter.”

“I’m not sick of her because I love to compete against her,” Grasso said. “She’s a great competitor and the top of the line. But there are two options. She can win, and I might have to fight her again, or I can win and maybe be done with her.”

The first bout, which features Las Vegan Raul Rosas Jr. against bantamweight Aori Qileng, is scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.