Dana White is asked about UFC’s upcoming broadcast deals and says a lot of potential media partners will be at the Sphere this weekend. pic.twitter.com/JkCjSmYSQg
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman)
September 10, 2024
In terms of visual presentation, UFC 306 is expected to be an unprecedented event.
That’s mainly because of the venue: The Sphere in Las Vegas is quickly becoming known for its immersive video and audio facilities, and UFC CEO Dana White has had a goal of becoming the first organization to host a sporting event at the arena, which will come to fruition with Saturday night’s card headlined by a bantamweight championship showdown between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
White said the Sphere will be the star of the show, with films celebrating Mexico’s contributions to martial arts shown between bouts and different worlds projected on giant LED screens during the matches — a big-budget undertaking for the Las Vegas-based promotion.
“Usually the budget for a UFC event is between $2 million and $2.5 million. This one’s got an $8 million budget, and we’re putting $20 million into it,” White said recently on “Bloomberg The Crows.” UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili airs Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order yours now!
As a result, ticket prices are reportedly higher than those for regular UFC events, but White said interest is high from both those who want to attend in person and those who want to watch from home.
“Tickets are selling as usual. They will be sold out this week or the night of the event. It’s the biggest gate in UFC history, we’ll end up with $22 million or $23 million,” White said. “And it’s the biggest advance buyout of any fight we’ve done. People buying the pay-per-view a week in advance. It’s the biggest advance buyout in the history of the company.”
UFC 306 could play a pivotal role for UFC’s next media rights deal. UFC’s current deal with ESPN is set to expire in 2025, and the company is expected to see a number of interested parties once that deal hits the market. White said some of those partners are expected to be in attendance at the Sphere on Saturday night.
“It’ll be interesting to see how this plays out,” White said. “Maybe it’ll be on multiple platforms like the NFL and other sports, or maybe it’ll just be on one platform. We don’t know how it’ll play out. We’re having those conversations right now.”
“To be honest with you, a lot of media people will be at the Sphere this weekend.”
