Plans are still coming together for UFC 306 in September, which was rebranded as Noche UFC as the promotion prepares an event celebrating Mexican Independence Day for the second straight year.
The card takes place on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. UFC CEO Dana White has teased a massive financial investment into the event, which is expected to be “one and done” with no plans to return to the venue for another show due to the incredible cost associated with the production.
While the full fight card hasn’t been revealed yet, White did confirm the total number of bouts expected on the September pay-per-view as rumors swirl about potential headliners.
“We’re going to [do] 10 [fights],” White told The Pat McAfee Show on Monday. “They’ll be a main, a co-main, and obviously this card will be very Mexican heavy.”
There have been numerous rumors about UFC 306’s lineup, including a potential bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili as the headliner.
UFC flyweight champion Alexa Grasso is also expected to defend her title at the event against Valentina Shevchenko, but none of the marquee matchups have been confirmed just yet.
One other interesting twist with the UFC 306 card is the seating arrangement.
The Sphere in Las Vegas, which features a 160,000 square-foot 16K-resolution wrap-around screen inside, typically seats between 18,000 to 20,000 for an event. There are standard seats throughout the venue as well as luxury suites, but it turns out there’s also room for fans to actually stand on the floor to witness the event.
“You’re going to have people that are in the seats, people that are in the suites, and then the bottom level where people are actually standing and will watch the whole thing standing room only,” White revealed. “Then there will be bleachers and seats.”
White said his team is still currently working on the full rollout for the event, but he’s obviously very excited to see the entire production unfold in September.
“I’m already $17 million into this thing and we’re not anywhere near September yet,” White said. “When I tell you guys I’m going to put on the greatest live sporting event in the history of combat sports, maybe in sports period, nobody else is going to go in and spend [that much money].”
