Anyone hoping to see Sean O’Malley defend his UFC bantamweight title at the MSG Sphere in Las Vegas on Sept. 14 can expect to pay a few thousand dollars at a minimum, and potentially much more.
O’Malley is scheduled to face Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili at the Sphere at UFC 306, where the lowest-priced tickets are selling for $1,466 each, according to GameTime.co.
Meanwhile, luxury tickets sell for up to $43,842 for a front-row seat.
For comparison, Super Bowl tickets on the secondary market were selling for as little as $7,000, while a last-minute ticket was selling for as much as $37,000, according to various reports. The average ticket price for Super Bowl LVIII was $9,300, according to StubHub.com.
White recently said he expects the UFC to make “between $25 and $27 million,” White told reporter Kevin Iole.
The Sphere displays graphics featuring Super Bowl LVIII signage ahead of the big game
Sean O’Malley fights Ecuador’s Marlon Vera during their bantamweight bout at UFC 299
Georgia’s Merab Dvalishvili reacts after his victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 298
The UFC record for ticket sales for a single event is held by UFC 205 with $17.7 million, according to Forbes. That night, Conor McGregor defeated Eddie Alvarez by technical knockout at the real Madison Square Garden in New York.
The Sphere seats nearly 20,000, about the same as any other major arena. The venue received good reviews after hosting the NHL Draft in Las Vegas earlier this year, and many Super Bowl attendees in Las Vegas were curious about the $2.3 billion shiny orb that dominates the city skyline.
“Oh my God, it’s almost like 3D,” California resident Jill Hitchcock told Reuters as she looked up at the Sphere at night.
‘(Chiefs quarterback) Patrick Mahomes throws the ball and then it’s like it’s coming right at you. It’s amazing. You used to have to wear (3D) glasses. I think it’s the shape of the dome. It gives you that 3D look. So it’s really cool.’
The O’Malley-Dvalishvili card is the first to take place at UFC at the Sphere.
“This will be one of the most important sporting events of all time,” UFC President and CEO Dana White said in a press release. “What we are going to accomplish at Sphere will never be done again. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for sports fans. At the same time, it will be an incredible tribute to the Mexican people for their extraordinary contributions to combat sports.”
Knicks, Rangers and MSG owner James Dolan hailed the fight card as a “milestone” for the Sphere.
“The first sporting event at Sphere is an important milestone not only for the venue, but for live sports in general,” he said in the press release.
O’Malley (18-1) is coming off a unanimous decision win over Marlon “Chito” Vera at UFC 299. Dvalishvili (17-4) is riding a 10-fight winning streak after beating Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision in February.
