The UFC Wants The Sphere as its Next Venue

The UFC is gearing up to debut the first-ever, live sporting event inside the Sphere in Las Vegas with UFC 306 on Saturday, September 14th, which will broadcast all across the world.

The Big Picture (literally): Sports and entertainment have been blending for decades, but it feels like they’ve been supercharged over the past decade. By literally blending immersive entertainment with live sports, the UFC may just redefine what event-viewing means.

Behind the Curtain: UFC 306, which will be a “love letter to the Mexican people” on Mexican Independence Day (per UFC boss Dana White), is the most ambitious undertaking in the brand’s history.

• It cost $20 million to outfit the venue and produce all the accompanying content for the event, which includes 45 cameras to capture the action, six short films produced by Carlos Lopez Estrada’s Antigravity Academy, and of course, two title fights.
• It comes with its fair share of technical challenges, including the fact that it isn’t possible to have a 360-degree view of the ring — a key feature of a UFC event.
• TKO president Mark Shapiro isn’t even sure if the event will be profitable but instead views it as a “brand-builder” that takes the company to the next level. That said, ticket sales are trending to be the highest ever — beating UFC 205’s $17 million.

The Future: The Sphere events come at a crucial time for the UFC, which is set to renegotiate its media rights deal with ESPN next year. Research firm MoffettNathanson estimates that the UFC could nab $450 million a year for its next contract, up from $300 million… and another $450 million a year for rights to pay-per-view events, up from $260 million. Yeah, it’s nothing to sneeze at. And if the UFC’s ambitious Sphere plans are realized and embraced by fans, a patent on how to pull them off (which one TKO board member said White should file for) could be a massive new revenue stream.

Go Deeper: White had the idea for a UFC event at the Sphere while watching U2’s groundbreaking concert at the venue, which is just a gift that keeps on giving.