UFC 306 At The Sphere Poised for Record-Breaking Live Gate
The UFC 306 card at The Sphere could produce the highest live gate ever.
The card takes place in Las Vegas on September 14 during Mexican Independence Weekend. Sean O’Malley vs Merab Dvalishvili will headline as Suga has the second defense of his UFC Bantamweight Title. O’Malley secured the belt after beating Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. He made a successful defense against Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in his last bout. Dvalishvili has ten wins on the bounce, making it a competitive bout.
Big Fights
In chief support, Alex Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko takes place for their trilogy. Grasso defends her UFC Flyweight belt. Their previous fight ended in controversial circumstances. Mike Bell’s 10-8 scorecard in the last round for Grasso prevented Valentina from winning at UFC Noche.
The CEO of the UFC, Dana White, has said there has been at least $17 million spent on this card. However, the costs are expected to increase given the huge demand that has been generated by The Sphere’s first-ever event. With the Saudis also on board, there is a desire to push the boundaries. Ticket prices from the pre-sale $3,000 to $12,000. This means it could break the $17.7 million live gate generated when Eddie Alvarez vs. Conor McGregor occurred at UFC 205 in 2016. McGregor stopped Alvarez in an electrifying performance.
Reaction
Andrew Schleimer, the TKO Group Holdings chief financial officer
“Look, we’re bullish. We’ve talked obviously about this being a cultural event and Dana has publicly stated how much more [invested UFC is] in this event, and obviously this is going to be a massive spectacle for those in the arena and for those at home.
“On the top side, this will be one of the largest gates if not meaningfully the largest gate that we’ve ever done, and on the cost side, it’s going to be the single largest investment that we’re making in an event. It’s even more expensive than we originally anticipated and that’s reflected in our new guide,” Andrew Schleimer (TKO Group Holdings chief financial officer)
“We talked about some tailwinds going into the balance of the year, but if there’s one meaningful headwind that has a direct dollar-for-dollar impact on EBITA (earnings before interests, taxes and amortization), it’s the incremental expense we’re seeing at the Sphere.
“[And] we are committed to growing the brand. We are committed to growing the audience, and sometimes we will make investments that short term won’t necessarily pencil out but long term, there will be a big win for us and play out tenfold. That’s what the Sphere is when Andrew talks about a spectacle,” Mark Shapiro ( TKO Group Holdings president)
Full Card
Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili – for bantamweight title
Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko – for women’s flyweight title
Diego Lopes vs. Brian Ortega
Esteban Ribovics vs. Daniel Zellhuber
Ode Osbourne vs. Ronaldo Rodriguez
Irene Aldana vs. Norma Dumont
Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Manuel Torres
Yazmin Jauregui vs. Ketlen Souza
Kevin Borjas vs. Edgar Chairez
Raul Rosas Jr. vs. Aori Qileng
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