Jeff Bezos and his future wife Lauren Sanchez sat Octagon-side as the UFC made its long-awaited debut at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
On Saturday night, Dana White hosted UFC 306, also called ‘UFC Night’ in honor of Mexican Independence Day, the first sporting event at the futuristic venue.
During the main card, Bezos and Sanchez sat cageside as sports and entertainment collided in a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic event.
Other stars in attendance at the event include Steve O, Jamal Murray, Bob Iger, Chris Brown, Andrew Schulz and Rey Mysterio.
White and the UFC originally had an $8 million budget for the event, which was first announced for 2023. However, the UFC boss revealed the organization has spent more than $20 million on the production, ten times its usual $2 million take.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez sat cageside for the UFC’s $20 million debut at the Sphere
The production of UFC Night revolved around much more than the card that featured some of the best Mexican fighters in the promotion.
Keeping with the theme of Mexican independence, short films depicting different chapters of the nation’s history toward freedom flashed across the Sphere’s 360-degree LED screens before each fight.
Behind the Octagon, the UFC had everything from Mayan pyramids to modern landscapes as the fighters took the stage.
The card features seven fighters of Mexican descent, headlined by Alexa Grasso as she defends her women’s flyweight title against legend Valentina Shevchenko.
Grasso dethroned Shevchenko in March 2023 via submission. The two met again at the first edition of UFC Night and ended in a controversial draw.
Dana White led efforts to host the first sporting event in the Sphere with UFC 306
UFC produced a six-part short film based on Mexico’s journey to independence
Each chapter of the film takes place between each fight on the main card.
Bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili to headline UFC Night 2
Headlining the event will be UFC men’s bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who will make his second title defense against number one contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Suga Sean comes into the fight after avenging his lone loss to Marlon “Chito” Vera in March. The Montana native has a record of 18-1 with 12 knockouts and one submission.
On the other hand, Dvalishvili has a record of 17-4, after victories over José Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo.