AV Magazine AV Magazine 
UFC CEO Dana White has confirmed that the Sphere has been booked for an event he says will be “the greatest live combat sports show anybody’s ever seen”.
The Noche UFC event will take place on 16 September, which is Mexican Independence Day, next year.
The UFC will be following in the footsteps of a U2 residency and Darron Aronofsky’s Postcards from Earth at the $2.3bn venue which opened on 29 September.
Speaking about the upcoming event, White said: “We are already working on the creative for the show. It’s going to be a massive challenge, and I love every minute of it. I can’t wait to dive into this thing.”
The Sphere can hold more than 18,000 people and has a 16K, 15,000 sq metre LED interior screen. This year’s Noche UFC event was held at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with 18,766 guests attending and a $2.26m paid gate.
Meanwhile, the Sphere’s Exosphere external screen is showing custom visuals for the Las Vegas Grand Prix this week. Race Week in Las Vegas began with The Netflix Cup which marked the first time the Exosphere’s content was cued in response to a live sporting event. Content will be cued live through the race on 18 November, including real-time pole position and a podium moment with the race’s winner.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix will be the first live event to feature the Sphere as part of its official broadcast. The Sphere has a prime position along the track and can be seen from multiple angles, and Sphere content has been optimised for a bird’s eye view of the track and venue.
The Exosphere which is showing the Grand Prix visuals is the largest LED screen in the world, consisting of approximately 1.2m LED pucks, spaced 20 cm apart. Each puck contains 48 individual LED diodes, with each diode capable of displaying 256 million different colours.
In other news, pop singer Harry Styles has received a formal invitation to take part in a residency at the Sphere, which is hosting U2’s UV Achtung Baby Live until February 2024. MSG Entertainment CEO James Dolan told a TV station that Styles is welcome to take up residency whenever he chooses while Styles has reportedly been offered $50m to play at least 10 shows at the Sphere in a weekly residency spread over several months.
Elsewhere, in the UK, the owner of London’s O2 Arena has submitted an objection to a planning application for an MSG Sphere venue in the city. London mayor Sadiq Khan is due to make a decision by 20 November.
Related stories:
- AV Magazine, 14 Nov 2023: Sphere loses nearly $100m as chief financial officer quits
- AV Magazine, 18 Oct 2023: U2 to extend residency at the $2.3bn Sphere in Las Vegas
@mmafighting Dana White says the UFC has booked the Sphere in Las Vegas for Mexican Independence Day 2024 and promises “the greatest live combat sports show” ever ???? #danawhite #ufc #ufc295 #mma #sphere #spherelasvegas #liveshow #mexicanindependanceday
Wow, this will be the greatest live combat sports show at a venue in the modern era, can’t wait to see creative visuals for this one!