UFC CEO, Dana White has promoted the hell out of UFC 306 — aka Riyadh Season Noche UFC at the MSG Sphere. The 160,000 sq ft LED panel Madison Square Gardens Company venue is to host the September 14 annual Mexican celebration. But will the tall tale and dollars forked into it be worth it all? White gives his take on the matter.
Under the watchful funding of the Saudi GEA, the UFC 306 pay-per-view card – rebranded the Riyadh Season Noche UFC has gained much momentum. Starting from custom paneling to an ESPN MMA documentary in work, and even merch sales. A Sphere-crazed White has already ponied up $17m in the effort, which started on a budget of just $8m. That limit is scaling way above twenty, days before Fight Week. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not because of a lack of prepping.
We don’t know. We won’t know until late Saturday night, …You know, I won’t do outdoor arenas because of wind, bugs, rain, and lots of other things that can happen. But this is still a controlled environment where on September 14th, sports and entertainment are truly gonna come together at the same time…We’re gonna rehearse the sh*t out of this thing.
Dana White to John Morgan ( @JOHNMORGANMMA ) for Cageside Grind City Media; H/T: SBNation Network
MMA reporter John Morgan of Grind City Media caught up with the 55-year-old backstage, following Saturday’s Fight Night 242 (UFC Vegas 97) event. UFC’s head of production and chief content officer Craig Borsari says the promotions has big plans. With in-situ test shots going live a week before the UFC 306 pay-per-view, there is much anticipation about said plans. The dome shape of the ‘Sphere’ is unlike any arena or stadium where combat sports are usually formulated.
So…will it be sustainable enough for a future PPV card? There’s no telling yet. During a Q1 conference call for the TKO-owned MMA company, Mark Shapiro said UFC would hit a restrictive pause on lux venues and hit more roadshows. So the ‘Sphere’ venture will be one-and-done. White has high hopes; during the scrum, he weighed in some other legacies as well.
Unfortunately for White, he has another thing to worry about when it comes to the UFC Noche event. That is the clashing of dates with Mexican sensation, Canelo Alvarez‘s bout against Edgar Berlanga. Canelo will fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Vegas, which would attract the majority of the Mexican crowd. Contrastingly, the main event for UFC Noche involves an American and a Georgian.
Dana White confirms future UFC Hall of Fame induction for Demetrious Johnson
Dana White is big on legacies and seemingly ‘Sphere’, slap fighting, and Jon Jones aren’t the only legacy spots he heeds. Demetrious Johnson, the long-serving UFC flyweight champion, announced his retirement from MMA competition on Friday at ONE Championship 168 in Denver. The longtime flyweight G.O.A.T. left the banner with quite a chip on his shoulder over fighter compensation and pay-per-view points.
Demetrious Johnson; Dana White (Source: ibtimes.com/heavy.com)‘Mighty’ Johnson’s retirement was greeted with celebrations from across the MMA community. His career stat included a record 11 consecutive title defenses and a host of other records. Following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 242 event in Las Vegas, Dana White fielded questions about the upcoming annual Noche UFC (UFC 306) PPV at the Las Vegas ‘Sphere’. When the topic shifted to ‘DJ’, the UFC CEO didn’t hesitate to consider him a future Hall of Famer.
If you could go back to when he was here, I was defending him from the fans…So who has defended Demetrious Johnson more than me? Good for him…Incredible career he had; I’ve never had a problem with Demetrious Johnson…[on UFC HOF induction]…Absolutely…
Dana White further said to John Morgan ( @JOHNMORGANMMA ) for Cageside Grind City Media
Following his retirement speech, Johnson became the first ONE Championship Hall of Fame inductee. Subsequently, that won’t be the only place he’ll be enshrined. As White said his legacy spot in UFC history is coming. It might very well be for the next International Fight Week 2025 and HOF ceremony, probably in July.
