The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is coming to the Las Vegas Sphere and is expected to generate the biggest gate of all time for the fighting organization. UFC 306 takes place on Saturday night, with Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili headlining the card, tickets are in high demand.
The cheapest price on third-party reselling sites is currently around the $1,000 mark, with the gate set to hit $23m, significantly higher than the previous all-time intake of $17.7m for UFC 205. In that edition, Conor McGregor fought Eddie Alvarez in Madison Square Garden in November 2016.
Another landmark achievement for this weekend’s card is that it marks the first competitive sporting event taking place at the Sphere. Up to now, it has been mainly iconic bands like U2 and the Eagles performing at the impressive arena, which features a wraparound LED screen.
Talking about hosting the fights in the innovative venue, UFC President Dana White said fans should expect “a completely different animal than anything we’ve ever done.” The organization is spending over $20m to entertain fans, including six short film clips shown before each bout.