Inside futuristic £1.7billion Las Vegas Sphere inspired by U2 that is set to make history at UFC 306
UFC boss Dana White is hoping his historic fight card at the £1.7BILLION Las Vegas Sphere will rock – after being inspired by U2.
White has spent over £15million on putting together the first and – so he says – only event inside the 366ft tall and 516ft wide arena.
Bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defends his 135lb title against Merab Dvalishvili in the main-event of the ten-fight card.
It also clashes with boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez’s Mexican Independence Day bout against Edgar Berlanga three miles down the road.
White however insisted his event will blow anything out of the water having invested a record amount into it.
But had it not been for NFL legend Tom Brady – none of this would be happening.
Brady invited White to a U2 concert at the Sphere and the UFC president was immediately blown away.
So much so that he rushed to get on the phone with his head of production to demand he share the experience.
White told Sportico: “I’m sitting there watching this thing, and I’m blown away by the Sphere.
“I called my head of production, Craig Borsari, and I said, I don’t know what you’re doing next weekend but cancel it.
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“We’re going to do an event at the Sphere, and I want you to bring the team down here.”
White’s team shared his same enthusiasm and right away they got to work with making their dream into a reality.
He told The Hollywood Reporter: “I went to U2 at the Sphere, and halfway through the show, I started to realize the Sphere was the star of the show, not U2.
“I was blown away by the technology, and I started thinking about the possibilities of what we could do.
“I guess I looked at this thing and said, ‘Eventually, somebody is going to come in here and pull off a sporting event. I want to do it, I want to be first.’
“If you take what U2 did and multiply it by a million, that’s where we are.
“It’s a whole other universe, not even another level. It’s a whole other universe what we’re pulling off on September 14.”
The Sphere opened in September 2023 after four years of construction and holds up to 20,000 people.
It boasts the world’s largest LED screen on its exterior with acts on the main stage surrounded by the dazzling display.
The LED screens also wrap around the audience too – leading to question marks over whether even the fighters would be distracted by the bright lights.
But White said in response: “We don’t know, we don’t know until late Saturday night.”
Seats can also vibrate with audiences surrounded by machines that create additional effects such as wind and scents as part of the 4D experience.
And fans will hope so too, after tickets were selling for as much as $3,000 (£2,200) upon first release.
White expects a UFC record £17.5m in ticket sales – beating the £13.5m sold when Conor McGregor knocked out Eddie Alvarez in 2016.
It comes after the UFC splashed a record amount on the event – as White spared no expense.
He said: “I said, ‘I’m doing this.’ I didn’t give a s*** what the budget was, I’m doing this.
“I truly believe that this is going to be a game-changer, where sports and entertainment truly come together for the first time ever.
“And I think a lot of other people are going to see this, and I think they’re going to start changing the way they build these arenas.
“Right now, this is a one-and-done. We have a deal with MGM, so I have to go back to T-Mobile and do that.
“But who knows? This was never supposed to happen this year. This wasn’t on our books. This was never planned.
“I guarantee you this, if some new technology pops up, I guarantee you I will be first.”