Jeff Bezos and his bride-to-be Lauren Sanchez were seated next to the Octagon as the UFC made its long-awaited debut at Sphere in Las Vegas.
On Saturday night, Dana White hosted UFC 306, also known as “Noche UFC” in honor of Mexican Independence Day, the first sporting event to be held at the futuristic venue.
During the main event, Bezos and Sanchez sat on the sidelines of the cage as sports and entertainment came together in a cinematic, one-of-a-kind event.
Other stars attending 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 he first announced in 2023. However, the UFC boss revealed that the promotion spent more than $20 million on the production — 10 times the usual $2 million.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were cageside for the UFC’s $20 million debut at the Sphere
The production of Noche UFC was about much more than just the card, which featured some of the promotion’s best Mexican fighters.
In keeping with the theme of Mexican independence, short films were shown on the Sphere’s 360-degree LED screens before each match, showcasing different chapters in the country’s road to freedom.
Behind the Octagon, the UFC saw everything from Mayan pyramids to modern landscapes in the background as fighters took the stage.
The card features seven fighters of Mexican descent, led by Alexa Grasso, who defends her women’s flyweight title against legend Valentina Shevchenko.
Grasso dethroned Shevchenko via submission in March 2023. The duo met again in the first edition of Noche UFC and fought to a controversial draw.
Dana White led the effort to hold the first sporting event in the Sphere with UFC 306
The UFC produced a six-chapter short film based on Mexico’s journey to independence
Each chapter of the film will be played between each fight on the main card
Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title fight will headline Noche UFC
The event is headlined by UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, who makes his second title defense against number one contender Merab Dvalishvili.
Suga Sean enters the fight after avenging his only loss to Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera in March. The Montana native holds an 18-1 record with 12 knockouts and one submission.
Dvalishvili, on the other hand, is 17-4 thanks to wins over Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo.