What was supposed to be a love letter to Mexican fight fans has turned into a Dana White vanity project, with a production price tag north of $20 million.
UFC 306 at The Sphere, also known as Noche UFC during Riyadh Season on Sept. 14 in Las Vegas, is headlined by the bantamweight title fight between reigning 135-pound kingpin Sean O’Malley — now the biggest star in UFC — and No. 1-ranked division contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Ticket prices opened at a staggering $3,000 apiece for nosebleeds, with premium seats running as high as $12,000. With less than two weeks until showtime, and several thousand seats still available (including resales), the lowest priced ticket now sits below $800.
And that gets you a “very limited view of Sphere screen.”
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25603408/IMG_7522.jpg)
If the selling point is the Sphere screen and you can barely see it, then you’re paying premium prices for a regular UFC pay-per-view (PPV) event. It’s also worth noting that White recently reduced the gate estimate from $25-27 million to $21 million.
“Dana said today that there are about 1,700 tickets remaining for Noche UFC,” longtime reporter Kevin Iole wrote on Twitter. “Expects a sell-out and said the gate will be a UFC record $21 million. HUGE night for Nevada Athletic Commission with Canelo doing massive gate down the street.”
Boxing megastar Canelo Alvarez also competes on Sept. 14, throwing hands opposite Edgar Berlanga across town at MGM Grand. White insists he’s got no beef with Alvarez — who is no stranger to counter-programming UFC — but did have a bone to pick with the “douches” at MGM.
So is UFC 306 at The Sphere worth the price? Check out the finalized fight card RIGHT HERE and decide for yourself.